X ■ 



S 



GUANO, 



ORIGIN, PROPERTIES AND USES, 



SHOWaNG ITS IMPORTANCE TO THE 



FARMERS OF THE UNITED STATES 



CHEAP AND VALUABLE 



M A N U R E I 






DIRECTIONS FOR USING IT 



NEW YORK: 

WILEY AND PUTNAM 
1845. 




Glass. 
Book. 



V 

^ 






f 



GUANO, 



ORIGII, PROPEETIES AID USES, 



SHOWING ITS IMPORTANCE TO THE 



FARMERS OF THE UNITED STATES 



CHEAP AND VALUABLE 



MANURE: 

WITH _ ^ \ er- ^"^ 
DIRECTIONS FOR USING IT. 




NEW YORK: 

WILE Y^ AND PUTNAM. 

1845. 



ADVERTISEMENT. 



The undersigned has received from the Peruvian Company, referred to 
in this pamphlet, a Cargo of Guano, which is offered for sale, in bags of 
about 150 lbs. each ; and is warranted to be the genuine Peruvian Guano, 
corresponding to the tests and analyses herein stated. 

[For prices, see last page of Cover.] 

It may be had in small parcels not less than one bag, at Thompson's 
Stores, Brooklyn, near Fulton Ferry, and in larger quantities, by applying 
to 

EDWIN BARTLETT, 

42 South Street, New York. 

KP Information addressed as above, giving the results of experiments 
with Guano in the United States, is respectfully solicited. 



SwA^^ 



. X- 



INTRODUCTORY REMARKS. 



Agriculture is an art, upon which man, when advanced beyond 
the savage state, depends for the necessaries of life. Although in 
all ages and in all countries, it has been deemed the most honorable, 
as well as most useful, employment, it has been too often left to those, 
whose daily toils admitted of little leisure to learn the improvements 
of others, or to apply the discoveries of science in the economy of 
nature, to their own practical labors. The more general diffusion of 
knowledge is gradually breaking down the barrier between Learn- 
ing AND Labor, thus enabling the farmer to avail himself of the in- 
vestigations of study, to lighten his toil, and increase its fruit. The 
necessities of this union become more urgent, as nations advance in 
population, and make larger requisitions upon the soil. 

In no country, of ancient or modern times, has learning been more 
advantageously applied to the labors of husbandry than in Great 
Britain. Abounding in wealth, and resolved to be fed from her own 
corn-fields, with a great and increasing population upon a limited ex- 
tent of territory, it has been found necessary to extract from, without 
exhausting the soil, its greatest possible production ; and the public 
mind has been constantly and forcibly directed to this object. Whilst 
chemistry has analyzed plants to discover their composition and sup- 
ply the waste caused by vegetation, nature has been explored to 
provide sustenance to the exhausted earth. The establishment of 
agricultural societies, for the collection and diffusion of knowledge, 
has given an impulse to the noble art of agriculture, which has raised 



4 



it to the dignity of a science. Nor has our own country been want- 
ing in efforts to ameliorate and elevate the condition of the husband- 
man. The increasing numbers and respectability of our agricultural 
journals, and growing interest in our annual agricultural meetings, 
prove that the people are roused to the importance of the subject. 

Nothing connected with Agriculture is of more vital importance 
than to know the best means of supplying to the soil, substances re- 
quired for, and extracted by, vegetation. The kinds and qualities of 
MANURES suitable for this purpose, have excited the attention of all 
writers on this subject, and have been the study of practical farmers 
in all times. New articles have been found by chance, or have been 
discovered by the investigations of science, and pressed into the 
service of husbandry. Almost every substance of the animal and 
vegetable kingdoms, and many minerals, have been made tributary to 
this end. To these is now added Guano, perhaps the most valuable 
of all. This comparative!)'' new article in Europe and the United 
States, was extensively used in Peru, centuries before its conquest 
by the Spaniards, and has been in constant use since. 

The following short account of its history and properties has been 
prepared with a view to call the attention of our farmers to its im- 
portance ; and it is hoped that it may be a means of leading to a 
better knowledge of this most valuable manure. 

It is matter of surprise that an article which is of such value to 
our agricultural interest, should continue to be taxed with a heavy 
duty. Being unenuraerated in the tariff (probably from its being so 
little known when the last tariff law was passed as to have been 
overlooked), it now pays twenty per cent, ad valorem, which, in some 
cases, amounts to six dollars per ton. 

New York, January, 1845. 



GUANO 



According to English orthography, but more properly Huano^ 
in the Peruvian or Quichua language, means Manure. 

It is only in the last four years, that this article has been im- 
ported into Europe, for sale ; and still more recently into the 
United States. Although it had been in use in Peru, from our 
earliest records of that country, and was considered there of such 
importance as to be especially protected from waste by the laws 
of the Incas, and of their conquerors, the Spaniards, it had been 
overlooked by other nations. A few samples had been sent home 
by travellers in Peru, with which experiments were made in 
Europe and in this country ; but more as a matter of curiosity, 
than from any expectation of finding it available to agriculturists. 
In 1840, the first cargo was sent to England, to test its qualities 
upon the soil. It was used with great caution ; and notwith- 
standing the astonishing results of the earlier experiments, the 
fear that the enormous crops which it produced might exhaust 
the land, prevented the farmers, generally, from availing themselves 
of so rich a manure. Repeated experiments having convinced 
them that it gives vigor to the plant without injury to the soil, 
and that it is the cheapest as well as the most nourishing manure 
known, the increase of its consumption is such, that from a few 
tons required in 1840, upwards of six hundred vessels of a large 
class, are now employed in supplying the wants of Great Britain 
and Ireland. In the month of November last, upwards of ten 
thousand tons arrived in the port of Liverpool alone. 

Of the various kinds of Guano which have been imported, that 
from Peru is found to be of the best quality. It is doubtless the 
excrement of sea-birds, mixed with their decayed carcasses, and 
those of other animals, frequenting the islands and headlands, 
where it is found ; about which such immense clouds of birds are 



constantly hovering, as to darken the sky.* Under the belief that 
it was the dung of birds, and supposing that the recent formations 
only were valuable, the Incas decreed the punishment of death 
against persons who should land on these islands during the 
breeding season. As no rain falls in that part of Peru where 
these deposits are found, they have been accumulating for ages ; 
and in many places are covered with sand, drifted from the desert 
that skirts the coast. In some of the ravines and large crevices of 
the rocks, they are fifty or sixty feet deep. The writer has in his 
possession eggs of birds, dug from these beds at a depth of 40 
feet from the surface. It is probable that the absence of rain on 
the coast of Peru is the cause of the superior quality of the Guano 
found there, over that of other countries. Whatever be the cause, 
the various analyses and experiments made and herein referred to, 
prove the fact.f 

In 1840 and 1841, especial privileges were granted by the 
Peruvian and Bolivian governments, to a company, in which the 
respective governments are interested, to export Guano. It is 
only through this company that Peruvian and Bolivian Guano 
can he obtained. Two cargoes have been sent to this country by 
their agents at Lima — one by the Orpheus to Baltimore ; and one 
by the George and Henry to New York. Such only as is known 
to be of these two parcels, can be warranted genuine. It is the 
intention of the company to keep a supply in the United States ; 
and to put it at such low rates as to make it the cheapest manure, 
thus causing it to be extensively used here, as it already is in 
England. 



* It seems incredible that these Guanos could be deposited by the assem- 
blage of birds that rest together, during the night ; but wonder ceases 
when we consider the millions of them, as the Ardeas Phenicopteros, or 
flamingoes, that rise in the air like clouds of many leagues in extent ; and 
that the deposits have been accumulating, perhaps, ever since the deluge. 
Three Years in the Pacific, pp. 247, 248. London. 1835. 

f In a Treatise on Guano recently published in New York by D. P. 
Gardner, M.D., Lecturer on Agriculture in the New York Institute, &c., 
he remarks : " Common Peruvian Guano will be more permanent, the more 
urate of ammonia and phosphates it contains, and may benefit even a third 
crop ; but the African variety, containing only soluble oxalate of ammonia, 
cannot be expected to produce any effect, except upon the immediate 
crop." 



The various tests to which the different qualities of Guano hare 
been submitted, and the results of experiments made and reported 
in the following pages, will, it is believed, satisfy all persons of its 
valuable properties as a fertilizer, and induce our farmers to avail 
of the opportunity now offered, of trying it on their own land. 

As most of the experiments have been made in England, the 
editor has quoted largely from English works. The results of the 
few tests that have been made in this country, prove that Guano is 
as well adapted to our soil and climate, as to those of Peru and 
England. When properly used, it is not known, in a single in- 
stance, to have failed to increase crops beyond any other manure. 

To those who are desirous of having early crops, it offers pe- 
culiar advantages. Roots and vegetables may be brought forward 
ten or fifteen days earlier, with this, than with any other manure. 
Dr. Gardner, already quoted, who appears to have given the sub- 
ject much attention, says : " Guano will be found, by market gar- 
deners, a valuable substance to forward their vegetables ; it has 
been seen to advance some crops two or three weeks." 



DIRECTIONS FOR USING GUANO. 



Many and various minute directions have been given in Eng- 
land for using this manure ; and experience will probably suggest 
better and more economical modes than any heretofore adopted, as 
the effects of climate upon its action become better known. Hith- 
erto it has been used principally in Peru, where they have no rain, 
and depend upon artificial irrigation for watering the soil. By this 
mode of cultivation, the farmer has the advantage of regulating 
the supply of moisture, and choosing the time of applying it, after 
manuring ; consequently the directions for use there, will not apply 
to other countries, but may, in some measure, serve as a guide in 
all, being the result of the experience of centuries. It is a general 
rule in Peru, to irrigate some days after manuring, and always to 
cover or mix the Guano with the soil as soon as applied. All the 
writers in England and in this country agree upon several essen- 
tial points, among which are the following : 

To keep the Guano from direct contact with the seeds and roots 
of plants : 

To use it shortly before or after rain : 

To cover or mix it with the soil immediately, when not used as 
a top-dressing : 

When used as a top-dressing, to mix it with three or four times 
its bulk of earth, or some less pungent manure, that its strength 
may be diluted and not burn the plants. 

From the many directions given, the following are selected : 

From the Dumfries Herald of the 30th of March, 1843. 

" It should never be given in contact with seeds, as it kills the embr)'0 in 
germination. For this reason I am doubtful whether it might aid or hurt 
the first stage of growth, if the seed were previously steeped in a watery 
solution of Guano. We know that carbonic acid and vinegar are given off 
by seeds in germination. These acids seem to attract ammonia so power- 
fully as to kill the germ. This effect will be most decided when the soil 
is very dry ; but it is worth while to try, with solutions of different strengths, 



DIRECTIONS FOR ITS USE. 9 

whether water will take up azotized matter in a form capable of injuring- 
tender seeds ; I wish to try it on red clover and turnip seeds. The Peru- 
vians irrigate immediately after the Guano and crops are sown ; the sandy 
character of their soil and their want of rain makes this necessary. For 
the same reason they are said to give the manure in divided doses at dif- 
ferent stages of growth ; neither our soils nor situation admit of general 
irrigation, nor do many of our crops admit of repeated manuring on the large 
scale, but we have in mixtures a substance more suited to our soil and cli- 
mate than irrigation would be. 

" As the lumps are too strong, the Guano should be put through a fine 
sieve, and the lumps thus separated should be broken and put through the 
same sieve ; this will be best done during the operation of mixing ; but be- 
fore proceeding to it I may mention a fact which farmers would do well to 
attend to. Guano rapidly absorbs moisture from the air, and this absorption 
increases both with the moisture of the air and the value of the manure. 
By drying two specimens of different values for an hour at 150°, I found 
the worst lost 15 per cent, between water and ammonia, and the best lost 
22i per cent. ; and by again exposing these specimens to the open night- 
air for an hour at 35°, the worst recovered nearly 6 per cent., and the best 
rather more than 8| per cent, moisture. Inference 1. Guano is constantly 
gaining weight. This would add much to the profit of retailers, if it were 
not for the fact that part of this moisture (in mild weather), goes to aid the 
decomposition of the organic matter, aud its escape in gas. Hence, 3. 
Guano is constantly losing value, and this loss is proportioned both to the 
value of the article when imported, and to the warmth and humidity of the 
air in which it is kept. 3. Hence, the farmer will find his profit in pur- 
chasing that which has been recently imported (if valuable) and in mixing 
it as soon as possible : for, if too damp, it will not pass through a sieve ; 
much will be lost ; and if he attempt to dry it by heat, he will lose much 
more. If any has already become too damp for economical use, it may be 
mixed with at least its bulk of dry but cold mill-dust, bran, or tail oats, 
well dried and ground in the mill. This will absorb much of its moisture, 
reduce it to a workable powdery state, and increase its value as a manure, 
without expelling its ammonia. 

" The objects of mixing Guano are, 1. To partly disinfect it by absorbing- 
its volatile products and diminishing its smell. 2. To separate its active 
particles, and thereby diminish their action on each other. 3. To present 
it to warm soils in a form in which its action will be less violent at first, 
but more protracted and steady than when given in an unmixed state. Of 
course, the colder the soil, and the earlier the season when sown, the less 
quantity of mixture is needed, and conversely. But, as a general rule, it 
should be mixed as equally as possible with four times its bulk of finely- 
sifted, moderately-dry black or brov;n colored earth, or peaty matter, 
saw-dust, slightly-burnt clay, charred turf, coal or peat ashes, — whichever 
of these substances can be most conveniently had. Perhaps newly-burnt 
charcoal, used as soon as cold, is the best matter that can be had for mixing ; 
but as it can seldom be at the farmer's command, any of the above matters 



10 GUANO. 

will answer in its stead. Where a considerable quantity of useless wood 
can be had, it might be piled up, surrounded, and nearly covered with clayey 
or spatty turf, and burnt with little admission of air. When cold, the 
charcoal, clay, and charred turfy matter, if well broken with a spade, 
mixed, and put through a sieve, will make an excellent mixture for Guano, 
especially for light warm soils. Some have mixed Guano with sand, and 
when for a cold clayey soil this mixture seems very suitable ; only sand 
need not be given in more than double its bulk, and should be put in the 
soil soon after mixing, whereas any of the other mixtures may, with advan- 
tage, stand beat up, under cover, for a week or more, according to the 
weather, character of the soil, and distance at which it is to be put below 
the seed, and also in proportion to the quantity of Guano given to the acre. 
The colder and heavier the soil, and the colder the weather, the more 
slightly the manure ought to be covered, and conversely. No rules can 
supersede experience in this. When either dung or bones are given as 
part of the manure, and when the soil is moderately moist, or disposed to 
clay or peat, the Guano should be put near the seed. Again, where the 
ground has just been limed, the Guano ought both to be given in a large 
quantity of mixture and covered rather deeper than in ground not limed for 
a year or more. On light soils lime should, if possible, be mixed some 
weeks before Guano is given. As lime rapidly expels the ammonia from 
Guano, it soon renders the manure inert. No farmer who understands the 
matter will mix either Guano, or dung, or bones, with either slacked lime or 
fully-burnt wood-ashes, or burnt couch, unless the couch be well mixed 
with earth, and have stood some time in the heap after it is cold. Any of 
these substannes, if in contact with Guano, drives off its ammonia. Al- 
though Guano, slightly mixed, may be sown above bones, yet bones and 
Guano ought not to be mixed before they are sown, as they act on each 
other, if good, and the readiest part of the manure is thus dissipated before 
it reaches the soil. A mixture of gypsum with Guano can seldom do any 
hurt, and for turnips or clover, on light soils, it may often be advantageous. 
When our turnip soils are very dry at sowing, it might be a great advantage 
if the top of the drills could be watered with a weak solution of Guano. 
This might be done at no great expense, by a watering-pan having a very 
small rose, perforated with only three or four small holes, so as to spread the 
liquid but little. A woman might go steadily along with this pan, followed 
by another with a supply of liquid, a large barrel or tub standing at the upper 
end of the drills. If this be found beneficial, a machine might be made to 
carry a larger supply, and water two drills at once. It is likely that this 
watering would both disgust the turnip-fly, and quickly put the plants be- 
yond its power. 

" From 60 to 70 per cent, of good Guano are either dissolved or readily 
suspended in water. The solution may be tried of different strengths, from 
i to 1 cwt. per acre of the powder. This would require about 160 gallons 
of water, or 1 gallon per perch, or 40^ yards' length of a 27-inch drill. It 
may be diflicult to make less liquid go over this length, and a larger quan- 
tity may be found inconvenient in practice. The undissolved parts of the 



DIRECTIONS FOR ITS USE. 11 

Guano may be mixed in sand or mould, and used as a dressing over dung 
for later turnips, or composted for after-use on grass. 

" Quantity of Guano per Acre. — This is not so easily determined as 
some gentlemen seem to think. The character and state of the soil, the 
locality where it is used, the period of the season when it is given, the kind 
of crop intended, the previous manure and system of cropping, the natural 
action and durability of Guano as a fertilizer, the quality of the article used, 
and the amount of expectation contemplated, have all to be taken into ac- 
count, and may vary the quantity from 2 cwt. to 8 or 9 cwt. per Scotch 
acre* when given alone, and half the above quantities when a due propor- 
tion of dung, bones, or rape-dust is given at the same time. When the soil 
is naturally warm, and has been brought to a high state of fertility, and 
where the farmer's interest in the land extends over only four or five years, 
he will most economically promote it by giving merely enough of Guano to 
start the plants with vigor, and, after a year or two, a light dressing of 
some suitable saline manure. If allowed, he may very cheaply ' take his 
own out of the soil,' in this way, and leave it as poor as he could wish. 

"We have heard much of the solar light enabling the leaf to decompose 
carbonic acid, and of plants receiving their carbon from the atmosphere. 
In hot and tropical climates, where sunshine is more abundant and steady, 
and where his rays are more direct and powerful, there is reason to believe 
that this is true to a considerable extent — (the large size of leaves and 
blossoms, compared with ours; the comparative general deficiency of veo-e- 
table matter in tropical soils ; the beneficial excess of saline matter there ; 
and every other analogical fact, confirm this supposition) — but in our cli- 
mate, where the heat is much less, and where the sun's rays are both more 
oblique and clouded during much of the season, little atmospheric carbon 
can be appropriated, except by our green crops, and therefore the supply 
must be chiefly afforded by the soil. Whatever, then, causes the evolution 
of more carbonic acid from the soil than it brings to it, gradually exhausts 
the soil not only of carbonic acid, but also of the bases dissolved and car- 
ried from the soil by this acid. In the soil, any alkaline matter, as ammonia 
(from Guano, dung, or bones), lime, and most of the salts, dispose the forma- 
tion of carbonic acid, and commence a general fermentation, which extends 
to the dead vegetable matter in the soil, and gradually reduces its quantity. 
Where the vegetable matter is in a very inert state, and the soil is coarse, 
as in clayey land recently drained, either lime must be given in a previous 
fallow (and, when practicable, this ought to be done), or the manure must 
be good farm-yard dung, not over-fermented, or the Guano must be given in 
a heavy dose (say five to eight cwt. at least per acre, put in and covered 
moderately deep some weeks or months, if practicable, before the seed) ; 
for in these soils it requires much to begin fermentation so effectually as to 
act on the inert soil, and bring it into a fertile state. A good turnip crop 
may be used on such soils with less Guano, but then the following white 
crop will show that the manure was wasted before the inertia of the soil 

* A Scotch acre is equivalent to H English or statute acre. 



12 GUANO. 

was overcome. On the contrary, a soil which, by judicious cnltare, is 
already disposed to fermentation, may be made to yield crops for several 
years, by using repeated and varied small doses of ammoniacal and calca- 
reous stimulants or salts, with occasionally a little dung, till the soil is re- 
duced to ruinous barrenness. In warm, light soils, it will require consid- 
erable management to give enough of good Guano to carry through a rota- 
tion without injuring the crop at first by its violence. Two or three cwt, 
per acre may be proper, if given alone ; but much better give half dung or 
bones, and half Guano, for such soils. Cold, high, clayey soils, even 
though under previous good management, will take four to five cwt. per 
Scotch acre, according to their exposure ; and if (as is too often the case) 
lime or dung has been given them too sparingly, they may require more." — 
P. Garden, Glence, Dumfries. 

" Liquid Guano. — As a liquid manure, 4 lbs. of Peruvian or Bolivian 
Guano to 12 gallons of water are sufficient. The water should stand 24 
hours before use, and when drawn off, 12 gallons more may be put to the 
same Guano." 

From " Guano as a fertilizer,^'' hy Cuthbert W. Johnson, F.R.S., 6fC. 

"It v/ould appear, then, from the results of the various trials which have 
been recently carried on in this country upon the Guano, that it is certainly 
a fertilizer possessing powerful effects, but it is pretty clear that it must be 
used in larger proportions than was formerly suggested — from three to 
four cwts. per acre appear to be the proper proportion. It is also evident, 
from the trials which I have witnessed, as well as from many whose re- 
sults have been published, that it should not be applied in imijnediate contact 
with the seed. If, therefore, it is applied by the drill, which I believe to 
be the best mode, it should be applied by a separate coulter, and by the 
mode adopted in the improved Suffolk drills, by which the manure is de- 
posited in the soil so much deeper, and so much in advance of the seed, as 
to allow a portion of the soil to be interposed between the seed and the 
manure beneath it. Like all other concentrated fertilizers, it is pretty 
certain, that for the most successfnl development of its powers, it requires 
a considerable supply of moisture, and will, therefore, produce the best 
results during wet seasons. It is used, it seems, in many situations in 
Peru, which are immediately afterwards irrigated. 

" From these facts, and from the general good effects which it has been 
noticed to produce on grass-lands in St. Helena and in Lancashire, and 
other of the most rainy English counties, it is evidently well adapted for a 
top-dressing for meadows and low situated lands in general. 

" I think also, from my observations, that, if the Guano is well mixed 
with three or four times its weight of finely-sifted earth, and suffered to 
remain for some weeks in this state, before it is used by the drill, or applied 
broad-cast, its effects would be the more considerable, and the sometimes 
too powerful effects of Guano upon the growing crop avoided." 



DIRECTIONS FOR ITS USE. 13 

From " Hints to Farmers on the Application of Guano.'''' London. 1844. 

" When required for any description of crop to be raised from seed, great 
care should be taken to have the Guano well mixed with the soil, by lightly 
ploughing, and then harrowing it in, so as to have it regularly distributed 
into the land before sowing, as it is ascertained that seed will not germi- 
nate when it comes into direct contact with Guano. When wood-ashes, 
charcoal, powdered cinders, gypsum, or any other article, can be easily 
procured to mix with the Guano, it may be desirable to do so, in order to 
secure its more equal distribution ; but we do not consider this indispensa- 
ble, so long as the Guano is well mixed up with the soil, as described. 

" When required for top-dressing grain or grass crops, apply it, if prac- 
ticable, on a damp or wet day, for the sooner rain falls after the application 
of Guano the better. Above all, do not apply it on a windy or boisterous 
day, or much will be lost. 

" It is impossible to state the exact quantity requisite for every crop, 
and upon every variety of soil ; but we think the practical farmer will, 
from the different results and modes of use given, easily find out the ne- 
cessities of his own lands in this respect, for much, as to quantity, must 
depend upon the state and condition of his farm, from previous cultivation. 

" The Peruvians, apply Guano at three different times to the growing 
crop — first, when the plant appears ; secondly, when in flower; and thirdly, 
at the formation of its seed. After each application, the land is imme- 
diately irrigated ; and if the weather should prove dry in this country after 
the Guano is applied, irrigation would be highly advantageous. There is, 
however, a method of making a solution of Guano : — 4 lbs. to 12 gallons 
of water are sufficient. Let it remain twenty-four hours, and then draw 
off the solution for use ; after that, put 12 gallons more water to the same 
Guano. 

" Guano should not be mixed with slacked lime, nor put on light land 
which has been lately limed, because the lime rapidly expels the ammonia 
from the Guano, and, of course, soon impairs its utility. A few weeks 
should elapse between the applications. Neither should bones and Guano 
be long mixed before they are used, because they act on each other, and 
their readiest parts are often thus dissipated before they can be applied. 

" The purchasers of Guano should be aware that the volatile part of the 
ammonia is liable to escape, either by exposure of the Guano to air, or by 
its getting wet. By the addition of about 32 lbs. sulphuric acid (oil of 
vitriol), mixed with twice its weight of water, and thoroughly incorporated 
with each ton of Guano, a fixed ammoniacal compound will be formed. 
By this simple and cheap metliod the Guano may be rendered better for 
the purposes of manure, and can be kept unimpaired for any length of 
time." 

From Gibbs and Myers^ Pamphlet. London. 1844. 

" It appears, from the result of numerous experiments, that the best 
mode of applying Guano for turnips of all kinds and mangel wurzel is, 



14 GUANO. 

after mixing it with about four times its bulk of finely-sifted mould, light- 
ened, if at all heavy, with ashes, to drill it into the ground with the seed — 
using the instrument which is commonly employed for drilling the manure 
and seed at the same time. By this means the Guano compost is deposited 
in the soil so much deeper, and so much in advance of the seed, as to 
allow a portion of the soil to be interposed between the seed and the 
manure beneath it. If the seeds are sown broad-cast, the Guano compost 
may be applied in the same way, that is, broad-cast, before the last 
ploughing. 

" For potatoes a similar compost is recommended to be applied by hand 
at the bottom of the trenches in which the sets are to be planted, inter- 
posing about an inch of soil between the manure and the sets. Where 
potatoes are planted whole, and from two to three feet apart, a quantity of 
the compost, proportioned to the quantity per acre intended to be used, 
should be deposited at the bottom of the hole in which the potatoe is to be 
planted, introducing the quantity of soil between the compost and the 
potatoe, as stated above. Great advantage has been found from a second 
application of Guano to crops of potatoes, and this should be made upon 
the first hoeing. 

" Using the same compost for grain-crops, it should be applied to the 
ground before the last ploughing. 

" To all kinds of grass, whether natural or artificial, the same compost 
may be applied with great advantage in the month of April, distributing it 
broad-cast, as evenly as possible, at the rate of about three cwt. Guano 
per acre. 

" Where any crops appear to be coming up weakly, or to be injured by 
worm or fly, the same compost, at the rate of about two cwt. Guano per 
acre, may be advantageously used by throwing it broad-cast over the 
growing crops. 

" To whatever crop Guano is applied, it is desirable that water, in some 
form, should soon follow ; and, therefore, showery weather should be 
chosen for the time of using it." 

From a Pamphlet on Guano published at Baltimore, 1844. 

"1. If intended for drill-husbandry, or to be used in the hill, it should 
be mixed in the proportion of one part Guano to four or five parts of woods- 
earth or mould, or any other fertile earth, or thoroughly decomposed 
manure — or one part Guano, one part ashes, and three parts rich mould or 
well-rotted manure. 

" 2. It is best for the above purposes, not to let the mixture come in 
immediate contact with the seed. 

" 3. For broad-cast application, it may be sown as plaster is, after it 
shall have been reduced into powder either by itself, or in compost as pre- 
scribed in Rule number one. Whether used alone or in compost it should 
be sown and harrowed in, after the crop may have been sown and ploughed 
in. 



DIRECTIONS FOR ITS USE. 



15 



*' 4. It ifiay be sown in compost, after a crop may have come up. 

" 5. It is a good and highly fertilizing manure for all descriptions of 
crops, whether grain, grass, or roots, and if properly used, will not only 
increase the quantity of the product, but improve the quality also. 

"6. For root crops 200 lbs. used in compost as named in Rule number 
one, is sufficient for an acre of ground— and the same would be sufficient 
for an acre of corn, if used in the drill, or hill. 

" 7. For wheat, rye, oats, barley, tobacco, or any of the grass crops, 
from 200 to 300 lbs., according to the quality of the land, will be found 
sufficient for an acre. 

" 8. It should, if possible, always be applied in «;e^ weather, and covered 
either lightly with the plough or harrow : where neither of these modes 
may be practicable after sowing Guano, the roller should be applied. 

" 9. In applying it to old meadows, or meadows which may have been 
set for some time, it should be harrowed in and then rolled. 

" 10. If convenient, plaster may be very advantageously used with it 
in the proportion of one bushel of plaster to 100 lbs. of Guano. 

"11. In applying it to grass lands and meadows, the month of April would 
be the most suitable period, as a great object is to dissolve it in order that 
its virtues may promptly come in contact with the roots of the plants. It 
may, however, be used at any loet season. 

" 12. Any compost made of Guano, should remain a few days before 

being used. 

" 13. Where liquid applications of Guano may be desirable, as on tobacco 
beds, or in gardens, 1 lb. of Guano dissolved in four gallons of water, will 
comprise a most enriching manure. The sediment remaining, if any, may 
very advantageously be used with an equal quantity of water as at first 

used. 

" 14. Where plaster cannot be obtained to incorporate with the Guano, 
a most excellent substitute will be found in pulverized charcoal, to be used 
in the same proportion as plaster." 

From an " Essay on the History, Character, and Value of Guano. By 
D. P. Gardner, M. /)." New York : 1844. 

" The time and mode of application. On this point we may learn 
from the Indians, who applied it to the plant at the time of the Spanish in- 
vasion, and have transmitted the practice to the Peruvians. Frezier gives 
the following account of the cultivation of their pepper : ' When the plants 
are fit to set out, they are arranged along the channels of irrigation, and 
each pepper manured with as much Guano as can be held in the hollow of 
the hand. When the flower forms, they add a little, and when the fruit 
forms, again a good handful— taking care always to irrigate, without which 
the plant°s are burnt up by the Guano.' Maize is manured when about a 
foot high, and again as the ears begin to form, half a handful each time, 
which is well mixed with the soil and irrigated. In Mr. Teschemacher's 
experiment, a tablespoonful was sown with the grain, and three teaspoons- 



16 GUANO- 

ful when the plants were a foot high. The early application destroyed 
several of the young plants. 

" In most of the experiments detailed, Guano was sown broad-cast, or 
drilled immediately before or after the seed ; but the practice appears, on 
the whole, hazardous, and in several instances has led to the destruction of 
the young plants, which turn yellow and are burnt by the ammoniacal solu- 
tion. It is moreover without economy, -since the apparent effect of the ma- 
nure is to stimulate or force the growth ; it is, therefore, better to add it to 
that already fairly tested — for instance, to wheat in spring. At the period 
of flowering, the plant exhausts much of iis own nitrogen, and requires a 
supply from without ; it is, therefore, a good time for application. At 
periods when the attacks of injurious insects are apprehended, a new ap- 
plication may do much good, by giving the plants sufficient growth to resist 
the injuries. There is no doubt that two or three well-tried applications 
are very superior to one, and the difference of effect will more than repay 
the cost of labor. 

" Another essential is the probability of rain, without which the finest 
crops will be destroyed, by the caustic properties of the manure. After 
rain and during moist weather the best effects are seen. 

" It should be mixed with two or three times its weight of garden mould, 
or fine soil, when sown broad-cast, so as to divide it well, and the Guano 
should be in fine powder and free from lumps. When applied by the hand, 
to corn or tobacco, it should be well worked into the land. On tobacco it 
may be added when transplanted, and at the topping season. On sugar 
canes and cotton it may also be applied twice or more : when they start 
and as the first signs of flower-buds or tassels appear. 

" The Guano must not be allowed to touch the seeds or plant to which it 
is applied. 

" It is recommended, by the English farmers, to divide the supply for a 
given season, as the sprouting of grass, into two or three parcels, and sow 
broad-cast at intervals of a week or ten days. 

" In consequence of the necessity for moisture, some have supposed that 
a solution would be the best form of application. This depends upon the 
variety of Guano ; that from Africa is sometimes soluble to the extent of 
60 per cent., whilst the American is much less so. The insoluble matter, 
phosphates of lime and magnesia, are sometimes the principal manure. 
Under these circumstances, I do not think that the solution is advisable, 
unless no rain is expected and there are facilities for irrigation. It is also 
less manageable in its application." 

From a Pamphlet published by J. F. Cannell. Liverpool : 1843. 

" To each cwt. of Guano add four cart-loads of dry earth, well riddled, 
which may be taken from either head or foot ridge of a field ; then form 
abed (in a dry place under cover), with a layer of the riddled earth about 
a foot deep, then a layer of Guano about an inch deep ; so on, layer and 
layer about, until all is finished. Letting it lie so as to ferment for six or 



DIRECTIONS FOR ITS USE. 17 

eight hours, then turn it fairly over, letting it lie to eight or ten hours 
more ; then riddle all together, when the lumps of Guano, if any, will be 
easily broken with the back of the spade or shovel. By ihis mode, the whole 
will be converted into one mass of Guano, when it may be sown broad-cast 
over grass land, wheat, barley, or oats ; choosing a wet day for sowino- on 
grass lands, but a dry day for sowing on wheat, barley, or oats ; givino- a 
very slight harrowing at the time of sowing, and at the rate of three cwt, 
of Guano so mixed to the Irish acre, for wheat, barley, oats, and grass 
land ; with four cwt. per acre for turnips or potatoes." 

The following remarks on the mode of using Guano in Peru are 
translated from a letter to the editor, written by a gentleman of 
intelligence, who has spent most of his life in that country, and is 
familiar with the subject : 

" Respecting the application of Guano to the culture of Indian corn, so 
extensively grown in the United States, and almost unknown in England, 
I beg leave to state to you the manner in which it is used by the agricul- 
turists of Peru, in order that you may make it known to your country- 
men, who may be disposed to try it in the cultivation of that article. 

" About six weeks after the seed is planted, and after having eradicated 
the more feeble plants, so as not to leave more than two stalks growing- 
together, a small quantity of Guano, say as much as may be readily taken 
up by the thumb and two fingers, is applied around the roots of the plants. 
In fifteen days after this application is made, the field is irrigated ; for, if 
left longer without water, the plant is burnt by the Guano, and sometimes 
destroyed. As soon as the tassels appear, a second application of Guano 
is made, of about double the former quantity, say a small handful, to each 
hill, when the earth is hoed up round the plant, and twelve days afterwards 
the field is again irrigated abundantly, and this irrigation is frequently re- 
peated until the corn is ripe. 

" By this mode of cultivation, enormous crops are obtained. In sandy 
and apparently sterile soils, which, without manure, yield only about thirty 
fold of small, sickly, and perishable grain, when manured in this manner 
with Gua,no, yields three hundredfold, of a large grain, which may be pre- 
served a long time wdthout deteriorating. 

" Plere (in Peru) but little study is made of economy in the use of Guano, 
as its cost is trifling ; but when the additional expense of distant transport- 
ation is considered, I suppose more pains will be taken to ascertain the 
most profitable modes of using it. What has been said, may serve as hints 
to your practical farmers, and I send you these observations in the hope 
that they may be useful, in a country so emphatically agricultural as the 
United States." 

To the foregoing remarks the editor would add, that nowhere 
does Indian corn yield more abundantly than in Peru, and its quality 

2 



18 GUANO. 

is not excelled, if equalled, in any other part of the world. A 
bushel of corn upon the cob yields nearly three pecks of shelled 
corn, of a solid, flinty grain, making a beautifully white and 
sweet meal. 

With these directions, which embrace the substance of what has 
been published on this subject, the quantities to be used and the 
modes of application must be left to the judgment of the practical 
farmer. It will be seen, by reference to the experiments herein 
reported upon, that one hundred pounds of Guano have been found 
equal to Jfive or six tons of common barn-yard manure ; but as 
there is no fixed standard of manure by which to value the Guano, 
this affords no certain rule of comparison. Experience will be a 
better guide than estimates. 



SELECTIONS 



RECENT PUBLICATIONS, 



EUROPE AND THE UNITED STATES. 

The following extracts are from a pamphlet published in 1843, 
by Cuthbert W. Johnson, F. R. S., Corresponding Member of the 
Agricultural Society of Koningsburg, and of the Horticultural 
Society of Maryland, Editor of Farmers' Encyclopedia, Farmers' 
Almanac, &c. 

" The use of the dung of birds as a fertilizer, is not altogether a modern 
improvement. That of poultry, for instance, has been adopted as a manure 
from a very early period. (2 Kings, iv., 25.) M. P. Cato, the earliest of 
the writers upon Agriculture {lib. 86), commends the use of pigeons' duno- 
for meadows, corn-lands, or gardens ; and in England, the value of pigeons' 
dung has long been known by the farmer. John Worlidge, in 1669, was 
warm in the praise of the dung of fowls. " Pigeons', or hens' dung," he 
says {Mysterie of Agri. 71), ' is incomparable : one load is worth ten loads 
of other dung, and is, therefore, usually sown on wheat or barley that lieth 
far off, and is not easy to be helped ;' and he adds in another place, ' a 
flock of wild geese had pitched upon a parcel of green wheat, and had eaten 
it up clean, and sat thereon and dunged it for several nights, that the owner 
despaired of having any crop that year ; but the contrary liappened, for he 
had a far richer stock of wheat there, than any of his neighbors had.' 

"Guano is, it seems, the European mode of pronouncing the Peruvian 
word ' Huano,' or Manure. This substance exists in large quantities in 
some of the rocky islands off the coast of Peru, where, in the course of 
ages, it has been formed by the deposit of the excrements of innumerable 
multitudes of Sea Fowl, who haunt these localities, especially durino- the 
breeding season.* It exists, according to M. Humboldt {Davy^s Elan. 

* '"It forms irregular and limited deposits, which at times attain a depth 
of 50 or 60 feet, and are excavated like mines of red ochre. — Its real ori- 



20 GUANO. 

Ag. Chern., 296), in the greatest abundance in some of the small rocky 
islands of the Pacific Ocean, as at Chincha, Ilo, Iza, and Arica. Even 
when Humboldt wrote, some twenty years since, fifty vessels were annu- 
ally loaded with the Guano at Chincha alone, each trader carrying from 
1500 to 2000 cubic feet. The Guano is found, according to Liebig, [Or- 
ganic Chcm., 81), on the surface of these islands, in strata of several feet 
in thickness, and is, in fact, the slowly putrefying excrements of innumera- 
ble sea fowl that remain on them during the breeding season. It is used 
by the farmers of Peru chiefly as a manure for the maize or Indian corn, 
and it is said sometimes in the small proportion of about 1 cwt. per acre. 
' The date of the discovery of the Guano and of its introduction as a manure,' 
says Mr. Winderfeldt [Brit. Farm. Mag., vol. vi., p. 411), 'is unknown, 
although no doubt exists of its great antiquity. In many parts of America, 
where the soil is volcanic or sandy, no produce would be obtained without 
the Guano." ' 

"In a recent obliging communication [Dec. 29, 1842), from a gentleman 
who has resided many years on the coast of Peru, (Henry Bland, Esq., 
of Liverpool), he observes, in answer to some questions which I had ad- 
dressed to him, with regard to the uses of the Guano, the soils and the cli- 
mate of Peru : 

" ' The valleys on the coast of Peru consist chiefly of a light sandy soil. 
No rain falls upon that part of the coast where I have seen Guano used. 
Neither are the dews so copious as to be considered by the Peruvian farmer 
to be of any importance in promoting vegetation in the valleys. 

" ' On the tops of the coast hills a slight verdure is produced by the dews 
in the winter season, but it does not remain for more than from one to two 
months. The land of the valleys is irrigated, but without the limits of ir- 
rigation all is a desert, with the exception of the slight vegetation I have 
alluded to. This is the state of the coast, from about 5 degrees to 22 de- 
grees south latitude. 

" ' I do not believe that so small a quantity as 1 cwt. of Guano per acre 
is found sufficient for the soil upon any part of the coast of Peru. In the 
neighborhood of Arequipa, the first crop is maize, (Indian corn). The 
seed is sown in drills or trenches, and the bunches (three or four plants I 
call a bunch) come up about two feet apart. When the plants are six or 
eight inches above ground, a pinch of Guano (as much as can be easily held 
between the thumb and two fingers), is placed around each bunch, and the 

gin was well known to the Government of the Incas, and its national im- 
portance fully understood. It was made a capital offence to kill the young 
birds on the Guano Islands.' Professor Johnston, Jour. Roy. Ag. Soc.,v. 
2, p. 103. The quantity of Guano importing into England has now, from 
small beginnings, become considerable ; about 20 casks were imported in 
1840, by Messrs. W. J. Myers and Co., of Liverpool. In June, 1840, the 
first cargo arrived at that port, and since then about 20,000 tons have been 
imported. ' There will be no difficulty,' says a Liverpool merchant, ' in 
obtaining from the coast of Peru, for the next thousand years, a supply of 
Guaao, adequate to the wants of the British Farmer.' 



DIRECTIONS AND RESULTS. 21 

whole is usually irrigated immediately afterwards. Giiano is again applied 
when the plant is about throwing out its fruits ; a handful is then applied to 
each bunch, and the irrigation immediately follows. The next succeeding- 
crops, potatoes and wheat, are produced without any further application of 
manure. 

" ' In the valley of Chancay, distant from Lima about 40 miles, a soil 
which, without Guano, is capable of producing only fifteen for one of Indian 
corn, with guano is made to produce three hundred for one. In speaking 
of Guano, the Peruvians say, " Aunque no sea santo, hace milagros." — 
Guano, though no saint, v/orks miracles.' 

" ' Guano, to be good, being in some measure soluble in water, can never 
be found in its most powerful state, in any climate where rain falls ; and 
consequently any that may be brought from the coast of Peru, taken from 
without the limits of dryness, must be of inferior value, compared with 
that which comes from the Chincha Islands, situated in about lOi degrees 
south latitude, and about ten miles distant from the main, and from Paquica 
on the coast of Bolivia, in latitude 21 degrees south. Upon these islands, 
and at Paquica, is the principal deposit of Guano. Two or three caro-oes of 
Guano from the coast of Chili, (where rain is frequent), have found their 
way into this country, and have, I believe, been sold for Chincha Guano, 
thus injuring both the character of the best Guano as a manure, and the im- 
porter of the genuine article.* 

" ' I may mention a circumstance to show the little estimation in which 
nitrate of soda, compared with Guano, is held by the Peruvian farmer. 

" ' On the coast of Peru nitrate of soda is produced at a distance of about 
forty-five miles from Iquique, the port at which the principal part of tlie 
nitrate is shipped. For mules to transport the nitrate from the place where 
it is made, to the port of shipment, the nitrate merchant, who sells for ex- 
port, depends chiefly upon the farmers who reside in the immediate neigh- 
borhood where the nitrate is produced, and he can only secure their ser- 
vices by having always ready for them in the port of Iquique, a return 
load of Guano, which they carry back to manure their farms, after having 
carried aload of nitrate almost from their own doors, to the port of Iquique.' 

" Guano appears in the state in which it has been recently introduced into 
this country to be a fine brown or fawn-colored povv'der, emitting a strong 
marine smell; it blackens when heated, and gives off strong ammoniacal 
fumes. When nitric acid is mixed with it, uric or lithic acid is produced. 
It has been analyzed by various chemists. In 1806 an analysis of a very 
elaborate description was published by MM. Fourcroy and A'^auquelin ; they 

* " ' It is the dryness of the climate,' observes Professor Johnston, 
' which has permitted the Guano to accumulate on these coasts. When we 
reach a region in which from local causes the dews are heavier and the 
rains more frequent, the accumulation ceases ; cold water dissolves at 
least three-fifths of the Guano in the state in which it reaches us. A single 
day of English rain would dissolve and carry into the sea a considerable 
portion of one of the largest accumulations ; a single year of English weather 
would cause many of them entirely to disappear.' " — Tour. Roy. Ag. Sac, 
V. ii., p. 315. 



22 ouANa, 

found in it a fourth of its weight of uric acid, partly saturated with arnrne^ 
nia, and partly with potash, some phosphate of lime and ammonia, and 
small quantities of sulphate and muriate of potash, a little fatty matter, and 
a portion of sand. It has more recently been analyzed by Mr. Hennell, oi 
Apothecaries' Hall, who found in Guano — 

Parts. 
Bone earth, _._----- 30.5 

Sulphates and muriates, -------3 

Uric or lithic acid, -------15 

Carbonate of ammonia, -------3 

Matters volatile at 212°, consisting chiefly of water and 

carbonate of ammonia, - ----- 12 

Other organic matters, ------- 36.5 

100.00 



" It has also been analyzed by Mr. Brett, of Liverpool, who found in 100 

parts — 

Parts. 

Earthy insoluble salts, chiefly phosphate of lime - - 29.2 

Soluble salts, fixed alkaline, sulphate, and muriate, - - 2.5 

Organic matter, - - - - - - - - 68.3 

" The organic matter consists of — 

Lithic acid, - - - - - - - 16' 1 

Ammonia, -- ._---- 8"7 

Other organic matter and moisture, - - - 43-5 

68-3 

" The composition of Guano varies, however, considerably. According 
to the analysis of MM. Voelckel and Klaproth, the va/rieties which they 
examined contained — 

Urate of ammonia, . _ - - 
Oxalate of ammonia, - - - 
Oxalate of lime, - - - - 

Phosphate of ammonia, - - - 

ammonia and magnesia, 

Sulphate of potass, - - - . 

soda, - - - - 

Chloride of sodium (common salt), 

ammonia, 

Phosphate of lime, . - - . 
Clay and sand, . . - _ 
Undetermined organic substances, of 

which about 12 per cent, is soluble 
in water, a small quantity of soluble 
salt of iron, water, . . - 32*5S 28'75 



Voelckel. 
Parts. 


Klaproth. 
Parts. 


9 


16 


- 10-6 


00 


7 


12-75 


. 6 


00 


- 26 


0-0 


5.5 


0-0 


3-3 


0-0 


0-0 


05 


4.2 


00 


14-3 


10 


- 4-7 


32 



DIRECTIONS AND RESULTS. 23 

" In a few words, it may be regarded as an impure compound of phos- 
phate of lime, of urate of ammonia, and other salts. There is no doubt 
but that it is a very powerful manure ; the very composition of its salts 
would indicate this fact. Thus, uric or lithic acid, which is a fine white 
powder, nearly insoluble in water (1720 parts of water only dissolving one 
part of uric acid), is composed, according to Dr. Prout {Thomson's Chem., 
vol. ii., p. 187), of— 

Hydrogen, 0-125 

Carbon, 2-250 

Nitrogen or azote, 1-750 

Oxygen, I'SOO 

5-625 

" According to the analysis of Professor Johnston, the quantity of sand 
always present in the imported Guano varies from two to eleven per cent, ; 
the sand consisting chiefly of mica, quartz, and feldspar, the debris of the 
rocks of the coast of Peru. A specimen, which Professor Johnston ex- 
amined, he describes as being 'of a brownish red color; it is evidently 
a very ancient deposit, and has undergone much decomposition. It con- 
sists of a powdery portion, mixed with lumps of various sizes. The latter, 
when broken, exhibit an aggregation of minute crystalline plates, are much 
richer in ammonia than that which is in powder, and are free from sand 
and stones. When broken up, however, the lumps speedily lose their crys- 
talline-appearance, give oif ammonia, even at the ordinary temperature of 
the atmosphere, and assume the condition of the powdery portion with 
which they are mixed. The fresh Guano,' adds Mr. Johnston (Jour. Roy. 
Ao-. Soc, vol. ii.,P- 311), 'is more valuable, because it contains more of 
the uric acid. ' We have no analysis of the recent droppings of any of the 
birds which frequent the shores of Peru ; they would probably be found to 
differ in some degree, not only with the species of bird, but also with the 
kind of fishes on which at different seasons of the year they were found to 
prey. We possess analyses, however, of the excretions of other birds 
which live chiefly upon fish, from which we are enabled to form an opinion 
as to what the recent Guano is likely to be. Thus, Dr. Wollaston found 
those of the Gannet (Pelicanus bassanus), when dry, to contain little else 
but uric acid, while in those of the Sea Eagle, Coindet found — 

LIQUID EXCRETIONS, DRIED. 

Uric acid, - - - 59 

Earthy and alkaline phos- 
phates, sulphates, and 
chlorides, - - - 41 

1000 100 

" The ingredients of which Guano are composed are all powerful ma- 
nures ; for the salts of ammonia, as I have elsewhere remarked, are a class 
of fertilizers whose use by the farmer will most likely be yet considerably 



SOLID 


EXCRETIONS. 








Per cent. 


Ammonia, 


- 


- 


9.2 


Uric acid. 


- 


- 


84.65 


Phosphate of lime. 


- 


6-15 



24 



GUANO. 



extended. Ammonia exists in considerable quantities in fermenting dung, 
and has been detected in minute proportions in rain-water. Liebig even 
attributes some of the effects of rain-water to its presence. The salts of 
ammonia are in general fertilizing in their effects upon vegetation. Soot 
owes part of its efficacy to the ammoniacal salts it contains. Tlie liquor 
produced by the distillation of coal contains carbonate and acetate of am- 
monia, and this liquid of the gas-makers is a very good manure." 

" There is no doubt but that the salts of ammonia, and all ihe compound 
manures which contain them, have a very considerable forcing or stimulat- 
ing, or perhaps, from their decomposition, nourishing effect upon vegeta- 
tion. In the experiments of Dr. Belcher (Com. Board of Agr., vol. iv., 
p. 416) upon the common garden cress, by watering them with a solution 
of phosphate of ammonia, the plants were fifteen days forwarder than plants 
growing under similar circumstances, but vt-atered with plain water ; and 
he also describes the experiments of Mr. Gregory, who, by watering one 
half of a grass field with urine, nearly doubled his crop of hay. Other 
testimonials, in support of the fertilizing powers of the salts of ammonia, are 
furnished by Mr. Handly (Journ. Roy. Agr. Soc, vol. i., p. 46). There is 
little doubt that various manures have a very considerable influence upon 
the composition of the corn produced from the soils with which they are 
dressed, ' It will be seen,' says Dr. Daubeny (Ibid., v. iii., p. 147), ' that 
the proportion of gluten to starch, as well as the aggregate amount of the 
crop itself, is augmented by manuring the soil with those materials which 
are richest in ammonia — such, for instance, as blood, pigeons' dung,' &c. — 
Farmer's Encyc. 

" In some recent experiments made with Guano, by Mr. Robert Bell of 
Gunsborough, near Listowel, in Kerry, the following (Brit. Farm. Mag., 
vol. vi., p. 601), according to a communication from him, dated Dec. 20, 
1842, were the results : 

" ' I first witnessed the effects of Guano, as a powerful fertilizer, in the 
growth of early potatoes. By applying a little round the shoot, soon after 
its first appearance above the ground, a greater luxuriance of growth was 
perceptible in the stalk a few days after ; and having added a little more 
previous to earthing them up in the usual way, was afterwards astonished 
to find potatoes quite fit for the table at the stalks manured with Guano, 
while those not so treated were scarcely formed, although of the same de- 
scription of seed, and planted at the same time. Again, I applied it to 
potatoes fit to dig, the fops of which had lost their green appearance, and 
were of the hue indicating maturity of the root, and a few days only elapsed 
before they were changed to the green and growing state they were in 
some weeks previous ; and it was found eventually, on taking up the crop, 
that not only were the potatoes larger, but that a second growth of tubers, 
of small size and very numerous, had been the consequence of the applica- 
tion of the Guano. These potatoes were manured, at the time of planting, 
with farm-yard dung. 

" ' I tried Guano also by itself, at the rate of two and a half cwt. per 



DIRECTIONS AND RESULTS. 25 

acre in drills, at one side of which were potatoes manured with a rich 
compost of earth and dung, and at the other with nitrate of soda of the 
same quantity. The crop of the whole was an extraordinary heavy one, 
accounted the most abundant ever seen in this part of the country ; but 
during the summer and autumn, the haulms of the potatoes planted with 
Guano and nitrate of soda had a much darker green and more luxuriant ap- 
pearance than the other ; and heavy as the crop was generally over the 
field, I consider the Guano drills the best, the nitrate of soda next, the tu- 
bers being larger, several of them weighing upwards of three pounds, and 
not a small one to be seen. In speaking of this crop, I may observe, the 
land was made very fine at the time of planting, and every weed eradicated, 
and twice horse and Ijand-hoed, previous to earthing up. Immediately on 
the crop being lifted, the field was sown with wheat, which at this time 
looks beautiful, alike on the part manured with Guano and nitrate of soda 
as on the other. 

" ' My next trial with Guano was with turnips ; and its applicability to 
this crop also is strongly perceptible here. I tried it sown broad-cast on 
the land, afterwards drilled up lightly before the seed was sown, alongside 
of deep drills, with farm-yard manure applied at the rate of about twenty 
tons per acre, on a fine loamy soil ; the braird of them with Guano was not 
only stronger and more regular, but the tops of turnips have continued in 
their fresh and green state, after a great part of the others had fallen to 
decay — thus yielding a greater quantity of green food for our store-cattle — 
and the crop was much more even and better than the other part of the 
field. In speaking of this crop, perhaps it were well to mention that I had 
sown a few drills without any manure, at one side of those manured with 
Guano, merely to see the difference. The seed certainly did braird, but 
that was all, for they scarcely made any progress whatever, and were con- 
sidered as not worth the labor of hoeing; but I desired the work-frirls to 
pulverize a quantity of Guano, and put a little round each sickly plant ; and 
when I visited the field, some days after, I was literally astonished to see 
the change that had taken place : the leaves of the turnips had grown and 
spread so rapidly as nearly to meet in the drill, and have turned out, much 
to the surprise of every one acquainted with the facts of the case, a very 
fine crop. They were of the kind denominated Aberdeens ; but I have had 
turnips of the white globe this season, from Guano, weighing upwards of 
twenty pounds, and that on reclaimed bog-land ; and our Swedes are also 
very large ; the seed I procured from Messrs. Drummond, of Stirling. It 
ought to be borne in mind, that turnips sown with Guano should not be 
thinned with the hoe, but singled out by the hand. 

" ' The only other instance I have tried Guano in the fields is on wheat, 
and in this case it was mixed with mould and ploughed in previous to sow- 
ing ; the wheat came up well, and has a beautiful color, with that peculiar 
curl which denotes a promising crop. This is in a field I have drained on 
Mr. Smith's (of Deanston) principle.'" 

The following are extracted from a pamphlet recently published. 



26 



GUANO. 



in Baltimore, on " Peruvian and Bolivian Guano," at the office of 
the American Farmer. 

Remarks on Peruvian Guano, as a Manure, hy Hon. John S. Skinner, 3d 
Assistant P. M. General, late Editor of the American Farmer. 

" If Alchemists had really succeeded in finding the elixir vitae, or lapis 
philosophorum, of which they were for a long time in search, and with 
which it was believed to be practicable to transmute all baser metals into 
gold, the discovery could scarcely have made a greater noise in the world, 
than has been made lately in England by the results of actual and various 
experiments with this wonderful fertilizer called Guano, the excrementi- 
tious deposites of sea-birds, for ages on ages gone by, on islands on the 
west coast of America. If agricultural, above all other knowledge, did 
not travel with a snail's pace, American cultivators would have been in the 
full fruition of this great resource nearly twenty years ago. In December 
of 1824, I received and distributed two barrels of this extraordinary sub- 
stance, on which the Peruvians depended for raising their crops of maize, 
and, in fact, for their subsistence, no one knows how long before they were 
conquered by Pizarro. I published at the date mentioned, in my old 
American Farmer, translations from Ulloa's Voyages, to show the objects 
and the modes of application of Guano in Peru, with the analyses made of 
it by the most learned French chemists. Governor Lloyd, of Maryland, 
an intelligent and enterprising farmer on a great scale, to whom a portion 
of it was sent for trial, pronounced it the most powerful manure he had 
ever seen applied to Indian corn, — but no measures were ever taken (until 
since recent experiments with it in England) to procure a further supply 
of it in this country. A few years since, it was introduced in England 
and applied to every variety of grass, grain, and culinary vegetables, with 
results so extraordinary, that though a great number of vessels are now 
employed in the trade, the supply is not fast enough to satisfy the demand. 

" In our own country, too, public attention is being rapidly awakened to 
its virtues as a powerful and portable fertilizer. In the latter quality — its 
portability — may be said to consist its great recommendation ; for although, 
making weight or measure the standard of comparison, it would appear to 
be the dearest of all manures, its condensation of great power into so small 
a bulk, renders it beyond all comparison the cheapest. The mind cannot 
at once, nor but by careful and extended calculations, realize the vast 
difference between it and stable manure, or even lime, in this respect. We 
must reflect upon the expense of purchase and hauling such immense bulks, 
if the farmer live near enough to purchase in the towns ; and if too far for 
that, let him calculate the labor of collecting and compounding the mate- 
rials, and hauling out and spreading as much barn-yard manure, as would 
equal it in its results the effect of as much Guano as a donkey would take 
at a single load. The case presents the difference in bulk and handling, 
that there is between essential oils and the trees on which the nuts grow, 
or the plants from which these oils are extracted. 



DIRECTIONS AND RESULTS. 



27 



" Guano has been applied with prodigious effect on all the staples alike 
of the garden and the field — on vegetables and vines, whether grape or 
strawberry, and on the whole family o( gramince or true grasses, increasing' 
the first crop after its application to grass or turnips, in a manner to reim- 
burse the outlay at once. In its application to plants sowed in beds, it 
must be particularly valuable, and in this respect it may be said to have 
supplied a desideratum to the tobacco planter. There need now be no 
difficulty in getting plants, and one cannot easily exaggerate the importance 
of a substance which may, in a few minutes, be applied at a cost probably 
of one or two dollars, and within the compass of a few rods, to that which 
is to be transplanted over large fields, forming in fact the main element 
and basis of the planter's chief staple crop. Its value must be immense 
in this respect, saving the plant, as it has been found to do, from the rava- 
ges of the fly, by pushing it beyond its reach, or by emitting an odor that 
repels its attacks, as that of penny-royal effectually does the attacks of the 
horse-fly, and tobacco-water the ravages of the worm, so destructive to 
the elm. Considering the small space it occupies, the trifling cost of as 
much as may serve for a large garden, and its easy appliance to plant-beds, 
to vines, to celery (on which I have seen it used with wonderful effect), 
on cabbages, potatoes, fruit trees, &c., it would seem that Guano must take 
the place of bulky manures, and by reducing the demand for, and price, 
especially of stable manures, in the large cities, its introduction must much 
promote agricultural and horticultural improvement ; and thus prove a 
real benefaction to the country. 

" So great is the rage at this time for Guano manure in England, that, 
as was to be expected, counterfeit presentments of the genuine article have 
been so artfully compounded of inferior ingredients, as to possess, like 
certain hypocrites, the mien without any of the virtues of the truly good. 
Hence it behooves the purchaser to take due precaution not to be imposed 
on with a spurious or an inferior article. To meet the growing anxiety 
for practical information as to the imnaediate effects and durability of Guano, 
the crops to which it is adapted, and the quantity and mode of application, 
several pamphlets have been published in England, and numerous essays* 
full of interesting details of experiments, have appeared in our own agri. 
cultural and horticultural periodicals — and the conductors of these, with 
their usual zeal and discrimination, will doubtless keep their readers ad- 
vised of the results of further trials. For the first attempt to bring it into 
notice and use ?n this country, the reader is referred to the American 
Farmer, vol. 6, page 316, December, 1824 : but he will find a great number 
of recent and striking experiments, exemplifying its efficacy, detailed in a 
pamphlet lately published in London, under the title of " Peruvian and 
Bolivian Guano, its Nature, Properties, and Results." From that pam- 
phlet I here submit, as well to provoke, as in some degree to satisfy 
public curiosity, the General Report of the Chemical Examination of 
several samples of Guano, belonging to Messrs. Antony Gibbs & Sons, 
of London, and W. J. Myers & Co., of Liverpool, by Andrew Ure, M.D., 
F.R.S. It need hardly be added, as to the character of Dr. Ure, that in 



28 GUAi\0. 

submitting the Peruvian Guano to be tested by him, the importers, Antony 
Gibbs & Son, London, and Wm. Jos. Myers & Co., Liverpool (themselves 
known to be merchants of the highest standing), meant to appeal at once 
to the highest professional authority ; and it seems that the published re- 
sults of experiments, since the date of his Report, have strikingly verified 
the Professor's anticipations of the virtues of Guano. 

" Extract from the General Report of the Chemical Examination of 
Guano, by Andrew Ure, M.D.,F.R.S. &c., London, 13th February, 1843 : 

Analysis. Parts. 

Azotized organic matter, including urate of Ammonia, and capa- 
ble of affording from 8 to 17 per cent, of Ammonia, by slow 
decomposition in the soil, -----._ 50.0 

Water, 11.0 

Phosphate of Lime, --_---.. 25.0 
Ammonia, Piiosphate of Magnesia, Phosphate of Ammonia and 
Oxalate of Ammonia, containing from 4 to 9 per cent, of Am- 
monia, ._.---_-._ 13 
Siliceous matter from the crops of the ijrt?5, - - - - 1.0 



100.0 
(Signed) Andrew Ure, M.D.,F.R.S., &c. 

Professor of Chemistry and Analytical Chemist. 

" It is gratifying to perceive that a cargo has arrived at Baltimore, in 
the Orpheus,* to S. K. George, Esq., regular agent of the London house, 
who sent it directly from Peru, as taken from the island, with every guar- 
anty that can be desired of iks genuineness, not to say purity ; and it is 
very important that in the first experiments there should, on that point, be 
no deception or mistake. In the English papers lately, the African Guano 
was quoted at £\2, or $60, and the Peruvian at $80 per ton of 20 cwt. of 
112 pounds, or 2240 pounds. 

"I had just penned the preceding remarks, when the mail brought me 
the following letter from an esteemed friend, who is one among the most 
earnest and well informed practical horticulturists in this country. While 
it will be seen that it was not exactly designed for publication, it evinces a 
desire to be useful, which guarantees that he will excuse my giving it to 
the public, in furtherance of my design, after a lapse of nearly twenty 
years, to reinvoke the attention of American agriculturists to this very 
remarkable fertilizer — one by means of which it would seem that Provi- 
dence designed the ocean to restore to the earth, some portion of the riches 

* This cargo and one received by the George and Henry at New York 
by Mr. Edwin Bartlett, are the only parcels of genuine Peruvian Guano in 
the United States. They were both shipped by order of the Peruvian 
Guano Company of Lima. 



DIRECTIONS AND RESULTS. 29 

carried by rains and rivers from the sides of the one into the depths of the 
other. 

"I will only add, that while in England, where there is some evidence 
of regard for the agricultural interest in the spirit of the laws, Guano is 
subject only to a nominal duty, while in this country, whose population is 
agricultural as three or four to one, this substance, used only as manure, 
pays a duty of 20 per cent, as a non-enumerated article. It is to be hoped 
that it will be expressly exempted from duty by the next Congress. 

J. S. S. 

" P. S. Since writing the above, I have learned by conversation with 
Mr. Teschemacher, of Boston, a gentleman whose horticultural zeal is 
directed by all the lights that science can afford, that it has been found on 
experiment made at his instance with reference to that object, that Indian 
corn from the grain of guanoed corn the previous year, is decidedly supe- 
rior to the product of other corn, though the culture of both was this year 
the same in all respects. His impression is, that its influence is particu- 
larly efficacious on the quality of the grain." 

" To J. S. Skinmer, AsH P. M. General, Washington. 

" Petersburg, August 21, 1844. 
" Esteemed Friend, — Absence from home all last week, and indisposition 
since my return, have prevented me from acknowledging thy kind letter 
sooner. However much I feel complimented by thy request to furnish a 
paragraph or two for thy address at Wilmington,* I could not prevail upon 
myself to comply literally with it. I should be gratified, nevertheless, to 
make any suggestion of the least value. Amongst the topics which may- 
claim thy attention, I know of none more deserving of notice, at least to 
all that class of farmers and horticulturists, residing in the vicinity of towns 
who are in the daily practice of buying town manures, than a full treatment 
of the subject of Guano. In some places manure is exorbitantly hin-h ; 
and even where it is lowest, as for instance here at Petersburcr, where it 
only sells for twenty-five cejits the two horse wagon load, I am convinced 
that Guano would be the most economical fertilizer that can be used. The 
labor of hauling manure from one to three miles is very great, to say" 
nothing about the introduction of noxious weeds into our farms and gar- 
dens. Last week I spent several days at Norfolk, and really I saw some 
line land so infested with nut-grass and other pests, that I would hardly 
undertake to cultivate it free of rent, in any crop that required nicety of 
management. The business by which I make my living is the growintr of 
fruits and vegetables for the market. Counting the cost of all the manure 
1 have to purchase, the hauling home and then spreading it and incorpo- 
rating it with the ground, I believe I could at the same expense of labor 
and material, derive double the amount of produce by the substitution of 
Guano. I have made some experiments this year which satisfy me of its 

* Alluding to an Address to be delivered at Wilmington, by Mr. S., next 
month, at the request of the Delaware State Agricultural Society. 



30 GUANO. 

great value and economy : and I am gratified to find that even in such a 
place a§ this, where the light of improvement breaks slowly in upon the 
minds of the people, like the sun shining through a thick mist, that con- 
siderable use is now being made of it in this neighborhood. 

" I think a full treatment of this subject would not only be opportune 
and productive of great benefit, but it would come with peculiar appropri- 
ateness from one who, if I am not under some misapprehension, was the 
first to introduce Guano into this country. I have been requested by some 
of my neighbors to furnish a short article on its use, for our local paper ; 
and in looking into the subject I may possibly have collected some facts 
which might be useful. The most authentic work, however, to consult, is 
Prof. Johnston's Lectures on Agricultural Chemistry, in the Appendix to 
which a great number of experimental results are detailed. 

" Let me make a little calculation of the relative value of Guano and 
other manures, to suit my circumstances — and which, with some modifica- 
tion, would be applicable to others pursuing the same business : 

33 wagon loads (2 horse) of manure to the acre, at 25 cts. $8.25 

Hauling, 11 days, with team and driver, finding, &c., at 

least $1.50 per day, 16.50 

24.75 

30 bushels bone-dust, per acre, at 55 cts., ... 16.50 
300 lbs. Guano (about the average of what is used in Eng- 
land) at 3 cts., 9.00 

Or, 400 lbs., which is considered a bountiful dressing, - 12.00 

" The cost of applying the manure would be several dollars more, while 
the Guano or bone-dust might be spread at very little expense. But I will 
trespass on thy patience no longer. Very truly thine, 

" T. S. Pleasants." 

" Laurel Factory, August 26th, 1844. 
" Mr. Samuel K. George : 

" Dear Sir, — Your communication of the 19th instant, on the subject of 
Guano, was duly received, but pressing engagements have prevented me 
giving you an earlier reply. 

" Most of my experiments in Guano were detailed in my letter to John 
S. Skinner, published in the American Farmer of June last. But as this 
article (Guano) seems to be growing rapidly into favor, I take pleasure in 
communicating to you still further the result of my experience in its effects 
as a manure. 

" The application of it to my wheat crop was made in the month of 
April, as a top-dressing upon spots where there was but little appearance 
of vegetation. The effect was powerful, both in the straw and in the seed. 
I also tried it in various ways on my oat crop ; by itself on very poor 
land, and mixed with ashes and other manures. Where applied alone upon 
poor, old field, at the rate of about 250 pounds to the acre, the product per 
acre has been estimated as high as 40 to 50 bushels — 30 bushels I should 
hink within bounds. I have not been able to thresh it out, although I 



DIRECTIONS AND RESULTS. 3l 

have had it stowed away by itself, and the land measured off, to test its 
efficacy. The land in both cases is a (rather) stiff clay loam. My own 
opinion of the Guano is, that if it be found at all permanent in its effects, 
it will prove the cheapest and most effective manure now used. Its stimu- 
lating effects, no one can doubt who tries it. Care must be taken in all 
cases not to apply it so as to bring it in immediate contact with the seed 
before germination takes place. It can be rolled in, after having previ- 
ously harrowed in your grain, or sown broad-cast as a top-dressing after 
the grain is up, or mixed with the soil some time previous to seeding. 
The first method is probably the most judicious. Where you follow rolling 
in your clover seed, after harrowing in your grain, one of the two latter 
methods had better be adopted, as I find it, in one instance where rolled in 
with clover seed, to have stopped the germination of it almost entirely. 
Another and very safe way of applying it is to mix it with other materials, 
such as plaster, woods-earth, &c., in proportions of one of the Guano to 
six or eight of the latter. This is more troublesome, and need not be 
resorted to, excepting when sown immediately with seed. Yours, very 
truly, H. Capron." 



Extract from a Letter from Francis Finch, Esq., of Pluin Point, Cecil 
County, Md., to George Law, Esq., Baltimore, dated 5th July, 1844. 

" I used the Guano pure on corn, on old field land, and certainly the vif^or 
of growth was greatly increased by its application. 

" I used it mixed with gypsum ; U bushels gypsum to 1 cwt. Guano, and 
sowed it at the rate of one hundred weight and the plaster, to each acre, 
on a field of Mediterranean ivheat ; the land was two years ago old field, 
had had no manure but a dressing of lime, before putting in the wheat. A 
•few days after the application of the Guano, a manifest improvement in the 
color of the plant was observed, and at maturity the crop surprised my 
neighbors and my manager. 

" I have tried Guano on potatoes against barn-yard manure — thus far, 
the superiority of the Guano is most striking — the color a deep green, and 
in blossom a week earlier." 



From the Petersburg, Va., Intelligencer. 

" On Guano. — The following is from the pen of one of the most en- 
lightened agricultural writers in Virginia, a gentleman who combines prac- 
tical knowledge with very high scientific attainments : 

" The experiments that have been made with Guano in the United States 
have been very satisfactory as far as they have been reported ; but it is 
only in Great Britain that accurately conducted experiments, to test the 
relative value and economy of all kinds of manures and salts, have been 
published. In Professor Johnston's work, the whole subject of manures 
is fully treated. 



32 GUANO. 

" The application of Guano is as simple as that of any other manure ; and 
since it is known to act powerfully on all soils, from the arid regions of 
Peru to the humid climate of England, it must of necessity be a great 
fertilizer in our own country. Its greatest effects are said to be on sandy 
soils. The mode of application depends very much on the crop which it 
is designed to benefit. On grass lands, and in the cultivation of the cereal 
grains, it should be sown broad-cast ; but for all vegetables grown in hills, 
or drills, it should be applied in close contiguity to the seed, though not in 
direct contact with it in its concentrated state. Top-dressing, after the 
seed is planted, is perhaps the most advantageous mode, provided a copious 
rain immediately follows ; but as this cannot always be counted upon, the 
safest practice will be to chop it in the hill or drill, mixing it freely with 
the soil. Lying on the surface, exposed to the action of the sun, the am- 
monia and other volatile ingredients would soon escape ; but mixed with 
the soil, they combine with it, and remain ready for the use of plants 
whenever there may be sufficient moisture to dissolve the Guano. In Eng- 
land it has in a great degree superseded the use of bone-dust for turnips, 
and for potatoes it is no less valuable. In our own country, its effects on 
Indian corn have been very striking ; and for all horticultural operations, 
especially in the vicinity of towns where gardeners, and even farmers, are 
in the habit of buying manure, the Guano recommends itself no less on the 
score of economy than for its intrinsic value. 

" In England it is applied at the rate of from 2 to 3 cwt., and sometimes 
even as much as 5 cwt. to the acre, but 3 cwt. is considered a good dress- 
ing. The writer of this has made some experiments this year on turnips 
and celery, and is well convinced of its value from his own experience. 
He has found 300 pounds to have a greater effect on turnips than 100 horse 
cart loads of the best stable manure to the acre. For a year or two he has 
tried it on plants growing in pots, such as geraniums, roses, &c., and the 
effect of a single teaspoonful has been wonderful. This is mentioned for 
the benefit of the ladies, who, 'themselves the fairest flowers,' are always 
appropriately employed in nursing these gems of the vegetable creation. 
For such purposes the Guano should be dissolved in water. In no case 
should the powder be permitted to come in contact with the tender leaves 
of plants of any kind. 

" Dr. Jackson of Boston, an eminent scientific authority on this subject, 
states, ' that so far as regards the application of Guano, it is especially 
adapted to those varieties of soil which are deficient in saline ingredients, 
and to those having merit or insoluble vegetable matters. It is not required 
on rich mould containing animal and vegetable manures, and where ground 
bones have been largely used, for these manures convey to the soil similar 
inf^redients to those found in Guano. Our light sandy loams will, without 
doubt, be found to be the best soils for its successful application.' 

" The present price of Guano places it within the reach of all those who 
are in the habit of purchasing town manures ; and perhaps not the least of 
its advantages will be in the security against the introduction of noxious 
weeds into our farms and gardens." 



DIRECTIONS AND RESULTS. 33 

On the comparative value of Guano with other manures, Dr. 
Gardner makes ihe following sensible remarks : 

"Guano contains the same components as stable manure, excepting only 
the vegetable rubbish ; but is in a very condensed form ; for whilst the latter 
averages only one-haif per cent, of ammonia, Guano sometimes contains 
upwards of 20 per cent. They also both consist of phosphates, and saline 
matters. It is therefore required to know, before we estimate their com- 
parative value, to which of their ingredients the fertility in any given case 
is owing ; in turnip crops, which are notorious for the fresh manure they 
require, 100 lbs. seem to be equal to about eight tons ; on grass, 100 lbs. 
equal six tons, and on wheat, 100 lbs. equal only four tons of stable 
manure, in an admirable experiment at Wraxhall. In these cases, as is 
well known, the wheat requires phosphates and potash pre-eminently, and 
turnips ammonia. We may therefore, in practice, form an estimate by 
remembering that the remarkable character of Guano is due to the quantity 
of ammonia it contains, and that its effects will rise in comparison with 
other manures, as the crop is more or less partial to that body — but is 
always beneficial from its other components. To assist the memory, I will 
throw together an estimate for various crops. 

" The highest value of Guano will be seen in turnips, Swedes, cabbages, 
rape, tobacco, potatoes, flax; the lowest on oats, wheat, corn, barley, and 
grasses. 

" The soil being similar in all cases, as an average, 100 lbs. of Guano 
may be said to equal five tons of the best stable manure. It will be un- 
derstood that rich soils have much less necessity for ammoniacal manures 
than poor lands ; hence Guano shows its greatest action on the latter. 

" As to the comparative value in money, it will depend upon the price 
of manure ; the English estimates given are at the rate of 5s. sterling the 
ton. It commands 62 cents a load in New York city, and certainly cannot 
be produced on the farm for so little." 

From the American Agriculturist, Nov., 1844. 

" Guano Manure. — Guano, whether from Peru or Africa, may be sep- 
arated into two marked and important kinds of ingredients : the volatile, or 
easily evaporable, and the fixed or permanent ingredients. 

" The volatile ingredients are those which evaporate readily at the common 
temperature of the atmosphere, which contain the ammonia of the Guano, 
and are the nitrogenous or azotized ingredients. They consist chiefly of 
carbonate, oxalate, phosphate, and humate of ammonia ; they are contained 
in all barn-yard and stable manure, and are of the utmost importance to 
vegetation, for there is not a portion of the vegetable without nitrogen in 
some shape or other ; they powerfully excite vegetable action, and are con- 
sequently indispensable to produce a luxuriance of growth. It is to this 
azotized ingredient that is chiefly to be attributed the surprising growth of 
plants watered with a solution of Gqano ; for nearly all these ammoniacal 

3 



34 GUANO. 

ingredients are soluble in water. Before I quit this subject, let me say a 
lew words on the humate of annmonia. 

" Of all the nitrogenous compounds, this retains the ammonia with the 
greatest tenacity — humus is found in all soils which contain organic matter. 
What a wise provision of nature, that an ingredient in almost every soil 
should be able so tenaciously to retain the substance indispensable to vege- 
tation, ammonia, which is poured down in every shower of rain, exists in 
every flake of snow ! The plants have the power to extract it from its 
combination with humus, then, just as they want it, and the rich manure of 
snow water is no longer a fable ; for the ammonia is retained in the snow 
by the coldness of the temperature, until the genial warmth of spring sets 
it free to promote the growth and vigor of the young year. One of the 
most valuable ingredients, therefore, of Guano, is the ammonia, or rather 
the ammoniacal salts, and by the quantity of these its price in Europe is 
very much regulated. The best Peruvian Guano contains thirty to thirty- 
eight per cent, of these salts — some from Chili is quite inferior, and only 
contains eight to twelve per cent. ; the best Ichaboe from twenty to twenty- 
seven per cent. ; the cargo of the Samos, just arrived from Ichaboe, con- 
tains twenty-six and one quarter per cent., and is a very superior parcel. 
It has been stated by Dr. Davy that he was unsuccessful in finding uric 
acid in the African Guano ; I have found it, and I see»by recent analyses 
from England, that it has been found in many parcels to the amount of li 
per cent. This is by no means an extraordinary circumstance ; this sub- 
stance and its immediate combinations are rapidly and easily transformed, 
naturally when moistened, or during the process of analysis, into carbonate 
of ammonia, &c. The character of Dr. Davy as a chemist forbids any 
other supposition, than that in the samples he analyzed, this transformation 
had taken place previous to their being placed in his hands. 

" The latest discovery respecting this portion of Guano, is by a German 
chemist, Unger, who has found in it that exceedingly rare substance, the 
Xanthic oxide of Marcet, hitherto only found, in very small quantity, in 
urinary calculi. This, although of no agricultural importance, is extremely 
interesting to chemists and physiologists. 

" The next to be considered are the fixed or permanent ingredients. These 
may again be divided into two kinds, those soluble, and those insoluble, or 
nearly so, in water. 

"Those soluble in water are chiefly salts of potash, as phosphate, muriate, 
and sulphate of potash. I trust that agricultural chemistry is so generally 
understood now, as to make it unnecessary for me to discuss here the value 
of potash to the farmer ; he knows that this or soda exists in every manure. 
In the quantities of these ingredients there does not seem to be much dif- 
ference in the Peruvian or best African ; there is usually ten to fifteen per 
cent., more than this I think would hardly be advantageous. By this di- 
vision of ingredients the farmer may know what he adds to his soil in using 
a solution of Guano in water. Such solutions should never be stronger 
than one pound of Guano to twenty gallons of water, and may be used where 
convenient three or four times during the growing, not the ripening season. 



DIRECTIONS AND RESULTS. 35 

" We now come to the last division of ingredients, those insoluble in 
water, or nearly so. 

" They consist chiefly of the phosphate of lime and of magnesia, and the 
oxalate of lime. These substances, although insoluble in plain water, are 
soluble in many of the liquids and compounds they meet with in the soil, 
and when in contact with the roots of plants. They are of the greatest im- 
portance to vegetation, for two of them are contained in the seeds of all 
cereal grains, and particularly in the embryo plant or plumule of the seed. 
They are contained in exceedingly small quantity in the usual manures, 
and hence the fields in England which have been so severely taxed for them 
by the incessant taking off of wheat crops, could yield them no longer until 
replenished by bone manure and phosphate of lime. The quantity of these 
in Guano varies much, say from 20 to 40 per cent. ; about 30 per cent, is a 
very good quantity. Beside these ingredients there is generally moisture 
or water, varying from 10 to 30 per cent. On this subject it seems only 
necessary for me to say, that the less water the better, not only because it 
is the least valuable ingredient, but because water rapidly decomposes the 
ammoniacal compounds. 

"The intelligent farmer, from knowing the quantity and quality of the in- 
gredients of his manure, will be better able to shape his course in the ap- 
plication of them, a subject on which of course much experience is still de- 
sirable with Guano. I have written strongly to Mr. Colman to send us over 
all the information he can collect on the subject, and I have not the least 
doubt of its being placed before our farmers in his work, in sufficient time 
to direct the spring operations. 

" From what has been said, then, it appears that if a growth of stem, leaf, 
and root, be required, the solution of Guano is about as useful as the whole 
substance ; but where a seed crop is wanted, the insoluble ingredients 
above are requisite, and the whole Guano is necessary. Several experi- 
ments have been made here on grass lands, after the first mowing ; they 
have not been very successful, and the reason is obvious. The Guano has 
been spread over the grass, and in cases where it has not rained imme- 
diately, the ammonia has evaporated in the air, and even in cases where 
rain has followed, much of the ammonia must have evaporated before the 
solution could get through the thick matted stems to the roots. The potash 
and other fixed salts may, however, probably be of use in the ensuing 
spring, but hardly sufficient to warrant any expensive outlay. Permit me 
here to observe to the farmer, that an unsuccessful experiment, well con- 
ducted, is often as instructive as a successful one, and therefore may equally 
lead to profit. The seed corn which I grew with Guano last year has been 
tried against the best that could be purchased of the same kind, and under 
precisely the same circumstances, side by side : the Guanoed corn was 
strikingly more luxuriant, and yielded the largest crop. 

" The whole result of my experiments this year, has, if possible, strength- 
ened my estimation of the valuable power of the Guano, and my view of 
its application generally is, that 250 to 300 pounds is sufficient for one acre 
broad-cast ; that it should be put into barrels and be kept as close as possi- 



36 GUANO. 

ble,* that when applied, no time should be lost in covering it with the soil, 
so that when the ammonia escapes it may at once impregnate the soil above 
it, which will then gradually give it off to the plant. 

"Pumpkins of enormous size, grown with Guano, have been exhibited 
this year, at the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, and many of those 
who have tried it on various vegetables, are full of wonder at its power. I 
think it not so likely to answer so well in stiif clay as on light soils ; but 
one of the great objects of the farmer ought to be to lighten his stiff soil 
with sand, and then it may be used. On grape vines and all gross feeders^ 
its effects are surprising. On fruit trees, one conspicuous action is, that 
it shortens the joints between the leaves, making the growth short, stumpy, 
and therefore productive. As it excites vegetation at any time of the year 
when the atmosphere is of a temperature to permit growth, it must not be 
applied except during the growing season ; but for forcing fruits or flowers, 
out of season, it will be very serviceable. I have heard from several herCy 
that its effects on potatoes have been remarkable ; but I can say nothing on 
this subject from my own experience. I think the African Guano, generally,- 
is not so retentive of the ammonia as the Peruvian, nor does it usually con- 
tain quite as much ; but the difference of price amply makes good this dif- 
ference, if skilfully and carefully used. 

"J. E. TESCHEMACHER. 

" Boston, 1st October, 1844." 

From Hovey''s Magazine, April, 1844. 

" Guano ; its action upon the groioth of various Plants, Fruits, <5fC. By 
J. E. Teschemacher, Corresponding Secretary of the Mass. Hort. Soc. — 
I have already stated that I had numerous experiments in progress, which 
were destroyed by fire ; as there is no prospect of my resuming them at 
present, I will offer a iew ideas upon which several of them vi^ere based, in 
order that those who have leisure may pursue them. The ultimate object 
of vegetable life appears to me to be the production of seed : to this purpose, 
and to accumulate the properties and ingredients for the formation and per- 
fection of this seed, the root, stem, leaf and flower are devoted, each per- 
forming its destined gradual part, until by their united efforts, brought into 
action by soil, light, heat, and moisture, this object is attained ; exterior 
vegetable action then declines until another season. Experiment has 
shown that plants grown on mere sand, with the assistance of water, will 
throw out stem, leaf and flower, nay even the forms of seed — but these will 
be mere integuments, empty vesicles, or little bladders ; also that, by con- 
stantly stimulating with peculiar manure, we can throw plants into such 
uninterrupted luxuriance of shoots and foliage, that often the flowers, and 

* This remark is more applicable to the African than to the Peruvian 
Guano, for the former being more moist than the latter, the escape of am- 
monia from exposure is much greater. The Peruvian is not found to de- 
teriorate much in quality, when kept in large quantities in bulk, or in smaller 
quantities in bags. 



DIRECTIONS AND RESULTS. 37 

more often the seeds, do not appear within the limits of the season. Com- 
bining these views with others on the production of double flowers, and 
with some suggested by various experiments on Guano, it seems to me 
highly probable that certain m.anures are particularly conducive to a luxu- 
riant growth of stem and foliage, while others are peculiarly so to the pro- 
duction of numerous and well-filled seeds. As it would be impossible for 
me, at the present moment, to develope all my ideas and experience on this 
subject, I will endeavor briefly to elucidate it by a supposition, which, like 
those in algebra, may or may not be near the truth. 

" Suppose the nitrogenous {ammoniacal) and alkaline {potash and soda) 
manures to be those chiefly instrumental in producing stem and foliage, 
then nitrate of soda will be valuable for this purpose, and if the soil itself 
contain the ingredients of the seed in a fit state for absorption, the plant 
thus thrown into a state of luxuriance will be enabled to draw from it suffi- 
cient to make plenty of good seed. But if the soil in itself contains them 
very sparingly, then this excess of stem and foliage, although containing a 
quantity of nitrogenous and palatable food for cattle, will be deficient in 
rich seed. Now we know that phosphate of lime and of magnesia, with 
sulphurous compounds, exist in all seeds useful to man and animals ; these, 
however, do not form part of nitrate of soda and potash — hence the latter 
can only assist the plant in extracting them from the soil. 

" Suppose, secondly, we use a manure combining the nitrogenous princi- 
ples in the shape of urates, &c., with the alkaline phosphates, sulphates, 
muriates, &c., then, even on the poorest soil, while the ammoniacal portion 
is performing its office of causing luxuriance in foliage and stem, the ingre- 
dients of the seed are offered in abundance to the root. This is exactly 
the predicament of Guano — most of the salts in which are soluble in water ; 
and those which are not, such as the phosphate and oxalate of lime, become 
so when combined near the roots with the carbonic acid furnished by the 
humus, as well as by other portions of the manure. 

" The use of a solution of Guano in water is therefore good, when the 
seed is not required ; but where it is, the deprivation of the insoluble phos- 
phate of lime is very injurious. 

" Hence, from the proper use of Guano, a luxuriant vegetation is followed 
by the production of a large crop of fine seed. As a further elucidation of 
my views, I will state that the manure made use of for the purpose of pro- 
ducing double flowers, is the highly nitrogenous stable manure, which is 
used in such quantity as to prevent the roots from coming into contact with 
that part of the soil containing the ingredients of the seed — this manure 
being then chiefly favorable to the production of foliage alone, if continued 
through many generations, will by degrees convert the stamens, pistils, and 
the parts destined by nature to prepare the seeds, into leaves or petals, and 
finally obliterate the seed. These flowers, if grown in a poor soil, scarce 
in nitrogenous substances, will again, as is well known, revert to their nor- 
mal single seed-bearing state. 

" Several of my experiments with Guano proved to me that it shortened 
the internodes, or portions of the stem between each leaf; this was par- 



38 GUANO. 

ticularly evident in seedling orange and lemon trees, and is a sure indica- 
tion of fruit or seed-bearing ; indeed the spurs, which are well known as 
the fruit-producing parts of many trees, are but shortened branches where 
the internodes are reduced to a mere nothing, and where, consequently, the 
auxiliary action is concentrated into a small space. I have, therefore, no 
doubt of the beneficial action of Guano on fruit trees. Many experiments 
are, however, yet desirable : — such as whether Guano acts beneficially on 
the receptacle of the seed, which is the fruit of the strawberry and rasp- 
berry ; whether on the exterior covering of the seed, which is the apple, 
peach, plum, &c., or on the kernel or nut, or on the pulpy envelope of the 
seed, as the gooseberry, grape, melon, gourd, &c. I hope that these ideas 
will give rise to numerous experiments this year, and that those who make 
them will not hesitate freely to communicate them for the general benefit. 

" I will merely add, further, that I should consider it advisable, in all ex- 
periments on fruits, to try both the Guano itself, as well as a weak solution 
of it in water ; it is highly p'-obable that the solution will be efficacious 
where the receptacle or the exterior of the seed is most valuable, whereas 
in corn, peas, beans, &c., those phosphates which are insoluble in water, 
and are very necessary, would be thus lost to the plant. 

" At another period I may possibly resume this subject, as it seems to 
me that these ideas open new views on the physiology of plants, and cer- 
tainly show of how much importance it is for those who study this subject 
to become better acquainted, from personal observation, with the action of 
the soils on vegetable Ife. It is from the want of this knowledge, that the 
greatest errors have been proposed and propagated as truths, by scientific 
men." 

From " Three Years'' Experience in the use of Guano,'''' by Thomas 
Baines. — Liverpool Times, Nov. 1844. 

"Having begun to use this new and much-spoken-of manure the year after 
it-was introduced into this country, and having continued to use it in in- 
creasing quantities ever since, it may perhaps be useful both to the com- 
mercial and farming interests that I should give a brief and plain statement 
of the results of the many trials that I have made of it, on diff"erent crops. 
The present condition of the farmers of the United Kingdom is such as to 
make it of equal consequence that they should not neglect any real improve- 
ment in cultivation, and that they should not waste their money in any 
doubtful or expensive experiments. What they want to enable them to 
pay their rents, to employ the laborers in their respective parishes, and to 
support their families, is an increase in the produce of their farms, and that 
to be attained in a single season and at a moderate expense. All these 
things I am convinced, from three years' experience in the use of Guano? 
they may obtain more surely by the judicious use of this new, but well-tried 
manure, than by any other means. So fully am I persuaded of its value, 
that after having increased my consumption of it from three or four cwts. 
in 1842, to upwards of twelve tons in 1844, I am prepared to use double 



DIRECTIONS AND RESULTS. 39 

that quantity next year ; and this I know to be also the intention of my 
next neighbor, who began to use it about the same time that I did, and who 
has also found it to succeed as completely as I have. At the present time 
we have between us about forty acres of turnips growing on our farms, raised 
without a spade-full of any other manure than Guano, and which I believe 
are not to be surpassed by any crops of the same kind in Lancashire or 
Cheshire. Dry and unfavorable as the season was for all kinds of green 
crops, and especially for turnips, we have neither of us lost a drill of them. 
This I attribute almost entirely to the use of Guano, in my ov.-n case, for, 
owing to the condition of the land, which had been lately marled, we were 
obliged to sow later than usual, and in such a season as the last, nothing 
could have secured the crop from the drought and the fly except the rapid 
and vigorous vegetation of the seeds, from the effects of tiie Guano. 

" I need not tell any one acquainted with cultivation, that there can be 
no good farming without a well-arranged system of green cropping. The 
four-course system of husbandry, which has made the once barren sands of 
Norfolk and the wolds of Lincolnshire^the granary of London ; and the five- 
course system, which has rendered the cultivation of Northumberland, Ber- 
wickshire, and the Borders, the admiration of all beholders, both rest upon 
the turnip crop as their foundation, just as the Flemish system of husbandry 
rests on the cultivation of clover, rape, turnips and carrots ; and that of 
Lancashire on the cultivation of the potatoe. Now my own experience, 
especially during the dry summer of the present year, when the turnip crop 
has failed almost entirely in the South and Midland counties, and to a 
great extent in Lancashire and Cheshire, convinces me that Guano is 
the most certain of all manures in raising turnips ; and when it is considered 
that it has been shown by one of the most skilful agriculturists of the pres- 
ent day, I mean by Mr. Morton, in his report to Mr. Pusey, published in 
the Transactions of the English Royal Agricultural Society, that the loss 
of an acre of turnips is, in its results, equal to a loss of fourteen pounds to 
the farmer, it is not easy to overstate the value of the manure which will 
render the cultivation of this valuable root more certain, and will enable 
the farmer, at a trifling expense, to carry turnip husbandry to an extent 
which, without it, is impossible. Even on a thoroughly well manao-ed 
farm, the quantity of manure formed on the spot is insufficient to keep the 
land in the highest state of cultivation. Hence in Norfolk, rape and malt- 
dust, and in Lincolnshire and the Lothians, ground bones, are extensively 
used in cultivation, whilst in Flanders the manufacture of manures is a re- 
gular trade. None of these artificial manures are, however, so cheap, so 
portable, or so rapid in their results as Guano, and therefore none of them 
are so well calculated to meet the wants of the English farmer, who re- 
quires a quick return, and cannot afford to pay much for it. 

" First, as to cheapness. The African Guano is now selling at from five 
to six pounds per ton, and the Peruvian at ten, so that after leaving a fair 
profit to the retailer, the former may be bought at seven or eight shillings 
per cwt., and the latter at twelve, or with a little arrangement among the 
farmers of an estate or a parish, it may be bought at wholesale prices. 



40 GUANO. 

Viscount Hill has within the last month bought upwards of eighty tons of 
Guano in the Liverpool market, for the use of his tenants, whom he supplies 
with it at the wholesale price, thus giving them the advantage of greater 
cheapness and a better selected article ; and I see it is stated in the Chester 
Chronicle of Friday last, that Lord Mostyn had bought a whole cargo for 
the use of his tenants in North Wales. These large purchases of Guano 
by landowners equally distinguished by their love and their knowledge of 
agriculture, are strong testimonies of its value as a manure, and this mode 
of supplying their tenants with it is deserving of the attention of other land- 
lords. Guano bought in this manner does not cost more than from six to 
sight shillings per cwt., when put into the land, and as five cwts. per acre 
is quite sufficient, the whole cost for manure would not be more*than from 
thirty-six shillings* to two pounds per acre. This is not one-third the cost 
of dressing the land with the ordinary manures. I have, at the present time, 
a crop of turnips manured with thirty tons of town manure, growing in the 
same field as a crop manured with five cwts. of Guano. They are both 
very good, but it is impossible to tell where one ends and the other begins, 
although the Guano only cost £2 10s, per acre, whilst the other manure 
cost £1 10s. 

" In point of portability there is scarcely anything that can compare 
with it, and those who have been in the habit of carting the common manures 
even from a moderate distance, need not be told how great is the loss of 
time both of men and horses, and the wear and tear of carts, horses, and 
gearing, in that kind of work. 

" It is most easily and rapidly applied to the land. This, besides being 
a great saving of time and money at all times, is often the saving of the 
crop in dry and difficult seasons like that of the present year. All the dif- 
ficulty in growing turnips is in getting a good start, and that depends chiefly 
on two things, the first on there being a sufficient supply of moisture in the 
ground, and the second on the manure acting rapidly on the seed. Now no 
other kind of manure acts so rapidly as Guano, and none can be applied so 
precisely at the time when it is wanted and will be most useful. There are 
generally one or two times in the season when the ground is neither too 
wet. nor too dry for sowing, and very frequently there are no more. That 
was the case last year, and as five acres of land can be dressed with Guano 
in less time than one can be manured in the common way, the chances 
that the seed will have sufficient moisture to germinate are increased in 
the same degree. This year I have seen several instances where a differ- 
ence of two or three days in the sowing made a difference of a month in 
the crop, and some in which it made all the diff'erence between its doing 
very well and failing entirely. In wet seasons. Guano is quite as much 
superior to heavy manures as in dry, for in wet seasons the ordinary manure 
cannot be carted on the land without filling it with ruts, and rendering it 
stiff and sodden during the whole of the year. 

* The currency alluded to is sterling, so that the shilling is ajjout tioen- 
ty-five cents. 



DIRECTIONS AND RESULTS. 41 

" Guano is not less applicable to other kinds of green crops. With 
beans I have found it to give great luxuriance in growth, and abundance of 
corn, and with potatoes as large a return as three times its cost of black 
manure. This year I tried five cwts. of Guano side by side in the same 
field with thirty-five tons of town manure, and though both the crops were 
excellent, that raised with Guano was decidedly the best, although it only 
cost .£2 lOs. per acre for manure, whilst the other cost £8 5s. 

"As a top-dressing for wheat and oats I have found Guano to be of the 
■greatest value. If sown along with wheat, at the rate of a couple of cwts. 
to the acre, it produces a strong and rapid vegetation, causes the plant to 
take firmly hold of the ground, and saves it from being thrown out by frost 
and thaw, or destroyed by the nibbling of rabbits or hares. Where the 
seed is drilled, or where it is put in with the dibble, the smallness of the 
number of plants renders it doubly important that every plant should sur- 
vive the winter, and nothing contributes more to this than giving it a good 
healthy growth and a strong root before the cold weather sets in. This a 
moderate dressing of Guano sown along with the seed will always do. 
Many persons, however, prefer applying it in spring, just when vegetation 
is again becoming active, and this I have also found to answer well, and to 
repay much more than the cost of the Guano ; but care should be taken not 
to apply it too freely at this season, lest it should cause the wheat to run too 
much to straw. In the growth of oats I have found it particularly useful- 
Last year (1843), my land dressed with Guano gave an immense crop, and 
though it was less effectual this year, owing to the extreme dryness of the 
season, which in many places ruined the oat crop altogether, yet it gave the 
oats a vigorous growth early in the season, and produced me a fair return. 
I can say nothing of its effects on barley from my own experience, as this 
is not a district in which barley is grown ; but the fact of the tenants of 
Viscount Hill using it to so great an extent, in the fine barley lands about 
Hawkstone, is a strong proof of its value in the growth of that kind of grain. 

" The last point to which I shall refer is the use of Guano on grass lands, 
When applied at the proper time, that is to say, during or just before rain, 
it produces a very luxuriant growth of grass, and very heavy crops of hay, 
but if put on when the weather is dry is of very little use. For this reason 
it failed in many places in the season just ended, especially where it was 
put on late, after the drought had set in. In this, however, it only resem- 
bled all other kinds of manure, and, therefore, nothing can be reasonably 
inferred against it from that circumstance. Early in the season the grass 
land on my farm, and the adjoining one, which were dressed with Guano, 
promised to give a very large crop, and although this promise was not ful- 
filled, owing to the dryness of the season, yet the lands dressed with Guano 
did much better than those that were not dressed with it. Some complaints 
have been made of its effects on ihe hay, but these, I believe, have proceed- 
ed chiefly from cow-keepers and other persons having an interest in other 
kinds of manure, for I never saw the least unwillingness to eat Guanoed 
hay amongst the cattle, horses, or sheep on my own farm, or heard the 
slightest complaints from any of the numerous persons to whom the hay 
grown on it, and dressed with Guano, was sold. 



42 GUANO. 

" It is stated as an objection to Guano, that its good effects only last a 
single year. This is not correct, for even when the crop is sold off the 
land (wliich is contrary to all sound principles of farming), the effects of 
the Guano may be seen on the two succeeding crops, and when it is con- 
sumed on the land, no other manure is necessary to give excellent crops of 
oats, clover, and wheat, in the succeeding years of the rotation. In this 
county, where potatoes are raised for the market, one dressing of Guano 
would not be sufficient to carry through the whole rotation of crops, but by 
supplying smaller dressings to the succeeding ones, say 2 cwt. to the oat 
crop, 1 cwt. to the clover, and 2 to the wheat — that is, by applying half a 
ton in four years — I have no doubt that the whole of the crops will be ex- 
cellent. We have tried it on three successive crops in this manner, with 
the most favorable results. In this respect it greatly resembles the liquid 
manures of Flanders. It acts with the same rapidity and energy as they 
do, and though it requires to be renewed when the crop is not consumed on 
the ground, it is still one of the cheapest manures in existence, even if 
renewed every year. To the farmer, especially one of small capital, it is a 
very great advantage to be able to apply his manure gradually in the course 
of a rotation, instead of being compelled to bring the whole of it on the 
ground at once. 

" The method of applying the Guano, which we have found the best, is 
the following : — After thoroughly cleaning the land for turnips or potatoes, 
we apply the Guano broad-cast, at the rate of three cwt. to the acre, harrow 
it well in, and then raise the earth into ridges. This diffuses the Guano 
equally through the soil. When the plants have got well up, have been 
well cleansed, and are ready for earthing up, we apply a second dressing of 
two cwts. in the same way, that is, spreading it equally over the land, and 
then Ijringing the earth which contains it round the plants. It is better to 
apply the Guano at twice than all at once, and much better to work it through 
the soil than to place it at the bottom of the drill. When applied in thelat. 
ter manner, it very frequently kills the young plants by over-gorging them 
with nourishment, and leaves those which survive with a very insufficient 
supply in the latter part of their growth. In dressing wheat, it is also very 
desirable to apply it at twice, rather than all at once. 

" Before I conclude, I may just say a few words about the different kinds 
of Guano, and about the frauds which are said to have been practised in the 
sale of the article. 

" The South American is undoubtedly the best sort, being drier and freer 
from impurities than the African. This, however, does not prevent the 
African from being an excellent and cheap manure. Some of the finer 
cargoes come near the Peruvian, whilst others are much inferior, and, owing 
to these differences in quality. Guano ought never to be bought or sold 
without a certificate, stating the quantity of nutritive and soluble matter 
which it contains. 

As for the alleged frauds, they have in general been practised on persons 
who were determined to have the article below the market price. There 
has never been any difficulty, nor is there now, in getting a good article for 



DIRECTIONS AND RESULTS. 



43 



a fair price ; but those who will buy Guano, retail, for less than it is sold 
wholesale (which was the case in many instances last year), have very 
little right to complain, even if they are cheated." 

From the " Gardener's Chronicle y 

Experiments with different Manures on the Potato Crop, ly Mr. W. 
Smyth, Michelstown, Kelts, 1843. — The following experiments on the 
application of various manures to the potato crop were tried last season, and 
as the mode of culture adopted differs from the usual practice, a few words 
of explanation on that subject are necessary. The land is of very superior 
quality, consisting of a moderately tenacious clay, through which a conside- 
rable portion of an impure carbonate of lime is interspersed, part of which is 
incorporated with the soil, and part occurs in the form of small stones, 
which, however, are rarely of such a size as to form an obstacle to the ope' 
rations of tillage. It had been previously many years in grass, and being 
merely marked out into ridges by the common plough, the potatoes were 
planted on the surface without any manure. The practice is well known 
throughout a great part of Ireland ; and it is also usual to let the land in 
this state to produce a crop of potatoes to the neighboring cottagers, and 
from £4 to £6 per acre are frequently obtained for this purpose. This is 
the con-acre system, which has at different periods attracted public atten- 
tion, as one of the causes for much of the pauperism in this country ; but to 
this subject it is not necessary to make any further allusion in this place- 
The potatoes were planted on the 15th of April, and were of the variety 
called cups, which I believe are generally known. The ridges are five feet 
wide, five sets being placed across the ridges, being thus nearly a foot dis- 
tant across, and nearly eighteen inches in the other direction. These were 
covered about three inches deep with the earth out of the furrows. ' Before 
the young shoots had reached the surface through their covering the various 
manures were spread on the surface in the proportions stated below. An 
additional covering of earth, two inches deep, was then put over the ridges- 
The application of the manures and the covering of earth took place the 
same day, on the 20th of May. On the 15th of June the spaces between 
the rows across the ridges were loosened by the hoe, and drawn up to the 
stems of the plants, forming, in fact, drills as it were across the ridges- 
The potatoes were taken up on the lOlh of October, and the following table 
exhibits the results : — 



Kind of Manure. 


(Quantity applied 
per ucre. 


Produce per 
acre. 


Cost of 
application. 






Tons. cwt. 


£ B. d. 


1. Guano, : : : : 


3 cwt. 


19 11 


2 2 


2. Bone-dust, : : : : 


18 bushels. 


15 13 


2 5 


3. Nitrate of soda, : : : 


2 cwt. 


16 19 


1 16 8 


4. Nitrate of potash, : : 


2 cwt. 


15 5 


2 14 


5. Muriate of ammonia, : : 


2 cwt. 


17 15 


2 15 6 


6. Salt and quicklime iu equal quant. 


8 cwt. 


14 17 


12 


7. Farm-yard manure, : : 


10 tons. 


16 3 




8. No manure applied, ; : 




13 10 





44 GUANO. 

The farm-yard manure was that of the preceding season which had 
remained over in the yard, and was therefore well decomposed. Each of 
the other manures was mixed with a small portion of dried earth a few days 
before being applied. The common salt was obtained from a provision 
store, and contained a considerable portion of animal matter, as blood and 
pieces of fat, though its effects in combination with the lime were not very 
great. The whole of the manures applied were successful in so far as hav- 
ing considerably overpaid the original outlay. Another circumstance I may 
here mention as worthy of observation : The produce of two equal por- 
tions of the crop, to which no manure had been applied, the earth in the one 
case having been hoed between the plants and drawn up to their stems, and 
the other not, showed clearly the advantage of the former treatment, the 
difference in produce being no less that one ton and three quarters per acre. 
This work was performed by boys and girls, under the superintendence of 
an experienced laborer, and the entire outlay did not exceed 7s. 6d. per 
acre. It is not perhaps necessary to add that the statute acre is that referred 
to in the preceding remarks, although here all calculations are made in 
plantation measure of 49 square yards to the perch. 



OBSERVATIONS ON SOUTH AMERICAN AND AFRICAN 
GUANO. 

By JOHN DAVY, M. D., F. R. S., London and Edinburgh. 

" At the present time, when the attention is so much given to agricultural 
improvement, and such great exertions are making to increase the pro- 
ductiveness of our own soil, to meet, as it is to be hoped, foreign compe- 
tition, the discovery of great deposits of concentrated manure, such as the 
Guano is, may be considered as peculiarly fortunate and encouraging. 

" As we have few or no good accounts of the localities, and as they are 
very curious and peculiar, I shall insert a description of one instance in 
particular — viz., that of an islet from which some African Guano was taken, 
the composition of which I shall have to notice further on. 

" ' The island from whence the Guano is taken is about three miles from 
the shore, on the south-west coast of Africa. It is a barren rock, about s 
mile in circumference ; has no soil, or the least sign of vegetation. The 
Guano lies to the depth of about twenty feet, and without any variation in 
quality. The continent is very sandy, and in high winds (hurricanes, for 
instance), will cover a ship's deck nearly 100 miles from the land. The 
birds on the island are a kind of penguin, and cannot fly to any dis- 
tance, if at all, their wings being a kind of fin. It is believed that the 
captain of the vessel who brought the Guano was the first human being 
who set foot on the island, which is very difficult to approach, there being 
no harbor and a heavy surf. On walking on it, he could scarcely set his 
foot without treading on the birds, and they took no notice whatever of 
him, except pecking at his feet, he being barefoot ; and on a gun being 
fired, they merely fluttered a good deal, and made much noise. There is 
no fresh water, it is believed, for some hundreds of miles along the coast, 
and no rain.' " 

" For this interesting and simple account I am indebted to a friend, whe 
obtained it from the merchant, the importer of the Guano.* 

" As, in consequence of the increasing demand for Guano, and its high 
price as manure, there is great temptation to adulterate it, or impose a spu- 
rious compost in imitation of it ; and which, indeed, is said to be practised 
already to a considerable extent, any precise information respecting the 
genuine article can hardly fail to be useful. With the hope of contributing 
something of this kind, I have examined both the American and African 
Guano, comparing them together ; and I shall now briefly state the results, 
premising a slight notice of their appearance. 

* Mr, John Rae, South Castle Street, Liverpool. 



46 GUANO. 

" Both, when moist or damp, as when imported, and offered for sale, are of 
a pretty dark reddish brown color, very like that of dark moist snuff. In 
drying both become of a lighter hue, and the African kind, on exposure to 
the air, soon exhibits a white efflorescence. Both when moist exhale a 
strong ammoniacal odor (the African the strongest), mixed with a different 
and peculiar smell, somewhat offensive, which, with the ammoniacal, they 
in a great measure lose in drying. 

" Under the microscope, using a high power, both appear to consist chiefly 
of very minute granules, many of them smaller than the blood corpuscles, 
and of slender prismatic crystals of oxalate of ammonia, in which the 
African kind is most abundant. 

" Subjected to chemical analysis, the two kinds (No. 1 the American, No. 
2 the African,) have appeared to consist of — 

No. 1. No. 2. 

Matter soluble in water, destructible by fire, or volatile, 
such as oxalate of ammonia, diphosphate and muriate 
of ammonia, and animal matter 41*2 40-2 

Matter not destroyed by fire, nor soluble in water, or 
very slightly so, chiefly phosphate of lime and magne- 
sia, with a little sulphate of lime, and a very little 
siliceous sand 29-0 28-2 

Matter not destroyed by fire, but soluble in water, chiefly 
common salt, with a little sulphate and sesquicarbon- 
ate of potash 2-8 6-4 

Matter destructible by fire, little soluble in water, chiefly 

lithate of ammonia 19"0 — 

Matter expelled in drying on a steam bath, chiefly water 

and sesquicarbonate of ammonia 8-0 25-2 

100-0 100-0 

" As regards the American Guano, the results of this coarse analysis do 
not disagree with those of the more minute one of Volckel, excepting in 
one particular ; he obtained 7 per cent, of oxalate of lime, a salt which 
certainly did not exist in the specimen which I examined ; and this I say 
after having carefully sought for it. 

" Comparing the constituents as they are placed side by side of the 
American and African Guano, the chief difference seems to be, that while 
the American kind contains a large proportion of lithate or urate of ammo- 
nia, the African kind is totally destitute of it. This I little expected, 
considering its origin, the excremf^nts of birds, their faeces and urine, the 
latter of which commonly consists chiefly of lithate of ammonia. The 
obvious explanation of the circumstance is, that the lithic acid, which 
formed a part of the urine, has in a long period of time suffered decompo- 
sition, and has given rise to oxalate of ammonia. And, that this Guano is 
very old, was indicated by the partially decomposed state of some feathers, 
not excepting the quills, which were included in it. I have said that the 



DIRECTIONS AND RESULTS. 47 

African Guano is totally destitute of lithic acid ; and I believe I am war- 
ranted in coming to this conclusion, having carefully sought for it in vain. 
It may be mentioned that search also was made in both kinds of Guano for 
urea, but without well-marked success. The brown animal matter, soluble 
in water, yielded a small portion to alcohol, which had some of the proper- 
ties of urea, and formed a compound with nitric acid, but less distinctly 
crystalline than the nitrate of urea. 

" Before concluding, I would wish to say a few words relative to the 
tests of Guano, — ihe means of distinguishing between the genuine and the 
spurious kinds. Taking into account its origin, and that deposits of it can 
be found only where no rain falls, the inference seems now to be obvious 
either, if old, that it must abound in oxalate of ammonia ; or if compara- 
tively of little age, in lithate of ammonia ; or if not of great age, it must 
contain a notable quantity of both these substances. These salts are easily 
detected, and the first mentioned, very readily by the microscope. 

"The adulteration of the genuine kinds, to which the temptation is great, 
cannot be so easily detected. I fear it cannot be accomplished, excepting 
by means of chemical analysis, and that the farmer must hold himself de- 
pendent on the integrity of the merchant ; and if he would wish to avoid 
the chances of imposition, he must purchase only of the merchant of esta- 
blished name, and at the regular price. 

"As Guano appears to be constantly exhaling ammonia on exposure to 
the atmosphere, to prevent loss and deterioration, it cannot be, before use, 
too carefully excluded from the air ; and on the same account, it ought not 
to be applied as a manure whilst vegetation is inactive, but rather at the 
moment of its coming into activity, and when in progress, according to the 
Peruvian manner of bestowing it on the plant, rather than on the soil." 

From " Hints to Farmers'''' — Longman & Co., London — p.\8. 

THE WIRE-WORM, SLUGS, &C., KILLED BY GUANO. 

" Sir, — I understand you take a great interest in disseminating useful 
information amongst farmers, and as the new manure. Guano, is now getting 
into general use both in Ireland and England, I beg to state that I sold last 
year a considerable quantity for trials, in various quarters of the counties 
of Down, Armagh, Louth, Monaghan, Cavan, Kilkenny, Roscommon, 
&c. The results are generally highly favorable. Mr. Wm. Blacker, of 
Market Hill, used it to a great extent last year, and this season he is cover- 
ing upwards of 1000 acres, which will take about 100 tons of Guano ; and 
at turnip time, from May to July, ten times the quantity will be required, 
as it preserves the crops, besides bringing them to maturity much earlier. 
There is a fact connected with potatoes this winter which should be gene- 
rally known, viz., the bins of potatoes in the field grown with Guano 
manure were preserved through the winter ; but those potatoes grown with 
farm-yard manure partially decayed in the bins, but when brought into the 
barn kept well ; the crops from Guano were superior to the others, had a 



48 GUANO. 

finer skin, and much better in quality. The soil was sandy, and lies near 
the sea-shore. Several who used Guano for potatoes and turnips last year, 
sowed wheat in the autumn and this open spring, which looks remarkably 
well, without further manuring. If necessary, in May, a slight top-dressing 
with weak Guano in solution, one pound of Guano to eight gallons of 
water may be given. 

"Guano, from its having the properties of nitrate of soda and other 
acids and salts, kills slugs, wire-worms, &c., in the ground, and acts as 
a preserver and protector of the growing crops in a variety of ways bene- 
ficially. 

" I am. Sir, your obedient servant, 

" Blain Leyland. 

" Newry, Wlh March, 1843." 



From Same, pp. 19, 20. 
" From Mr John Taylor, Surgeon, Liverpool, to Mr. W. Danson. 

" Siu, — Having noticed the progress of Guano, from its numerous ana- 
lytical examinations through all its phases of practical application to agri- 
culture, it has afforded me considerable satisfaction to perceive how well 
its theoretical character has been sustained by the results of experience. 
In the comparative trials which it has undergone with farm-yard manure, 
ammoniacal salts, nitrate of soda, &c., it has proved a concentrated animal 
manure of the richest fertilizing properties, capable of producing larger 
crops at less cost than any other, taking into account its slow solubility in 
the soil, which gives it permanence beyond its rivals. The discovery of 
the best means of applying it, so as to render the greatest amount of ser- 
vice, has obviated any objection against its use, and manifested its supe- 
riority when appropriately combined with sulphate salts, or decayed vege- 
table and carbonaceous matters, v^ith due reference to the description of 
produce expected. The latest analysis of the genuine Guano by Dr. Ure, 
shows an entire absence of sand and other impurities which have been 
discovered in a large proportion in other specimens, and describes it as a 
compact mass of the salts of amm.onia in combination with soluble phos- 
phates, than which nothing can be conceived more nutritious for the support 
of vegetation. The genuine Guano, therefore, when mixed with an appro- 
priate compost, excels farm-yard manure by the less amount of labor ex- 
pended in its use ; it excels bones, by possessing their nutritive phosphates 
in conjunction with much urate of ammonia ; it excels the various refuse 
compounds of ammoniacal salts by possessing the phosphoric salts in addi- 
tion to a,bundance of ammonia ; and the possession of these salts likewise 
gives it a preference over nitrate of soda, which, like the ammoniacal salts, 
merely stimulates the growth of plants at the expense of the phos- 
phates contained in the soil. 

" I am, Sir, your most obedient servant, 

" John Taylor. 

" n Nile Street, Liverpool, January 31, 1843." 



DIRECTIONS AND RESULTS. 4B 

From Mr. Skirving, Walton Nursery, Liverpool. 

" Guano. -^I am happy to hear that this new manure, which was tried 
in our neighborhood last year for the first time, with such favorable results, 
has again proved itself to be one of the most valuable manures ever intro- 
duced. It has been used to a considerable extent in this county, both in a 
dry and liquid state ; and in every instance, when properly applied, has 
answered Well for crops of every kind. It has also been proved to be a 
lasting manure, for very good crops have been obtained without any manure 
whatever, from land v/here Guano was applied and yielded good crops last 
year. I have applied Guano on wheat and other grain crops, and on grass 
lands as a top-dressing, at the rate of 2 cwt. per statute acre, with most 
excellent effect. For turnips, I have used 4 cwt. to the acre, and had 
very good crops ; and from 4 to 6 cwt. to potatoes, with like success. 
In the gardens and nursery grounds I have used it in a liquid state, and in 
that manner it has surpassed every manrue yet discovered. Its effects on 
young fruit and forest trees are wonderful ; also upon hot-house and green- 
house plants of every description ; even the exotic heatl^s, to which manure 
of every kind has been considered injurious, seem to flourish in a manner 
beyond precedent when watered v/ith ii." 



Remarks by Dr. Ure on an artificial or spurious Guano offered for sale 

in England. 

"analysis by dr. ure. 

*' This substance possesses none of the characters or properties of genuine 
Peruvian Guano, except a faint smell of it derived from an admixture of 
about 10 or 12 per cent, of Guano, and it is of little or no value to the 
farmer, as the following statement will show : — 

One hundred parts of this spurious composition -consist of > 

common salt or muriate of soda . • ) 32' 

Common siliceous sand .... o* .... . 28* 

Sulphate of iron or copperas 5*2 

Phosphate of lime (from Guano) ........ 4' 

Animal and vegetable matter from Guano, &c. . . . 23-3 

Moisture . 7-5 

100- 

" Genuine Guano, when burned upon a red hot shovel, leaves a whitfe 
ash of phosphate of lime and magnesia, whereas the foreign substance 
leaves a black fused mass of sea-salt, copperas, and sand. 

"The specific gravity of good fresh Guano is never more than 1*65, 
water being 100, whereas that of this substance is so high as 2"17, as pro- 
duced by the sand, salt, and copperas in it. 

" (Signed) Andrew Ure, M. D., F. R. S., 
" Professor of Chemistry and Analytical Chemist.'''^ 

4 



S& guano; 

From a Pamphlet on Peruvian and Bolivian Ouano ; its Nature, Properties, 
and Results. London : James Ridgway.'* 1844. 

" General Report of the Chemical Examination of several Samples of 
Guano, belonging to Messrs. Antony Gibhs 4" Sons and Messrs. W. J. Myers 
and Co. — In these various analyses, performed with the utmost care, and 
with the aid of the most complete apparatus for both inorganic and organic 
chemical research, attention has been directed not only to the constituents 
of the Guanos which act as an immediate manure, but to those which are 
admitted by practical farmers to impart durable fertility to the ground. The 
admirable researches of Professor Liebig have demonstrated that azote, 
the indispensable element of the nutrition of plants, and especially of wheat 
and others abounding in gluten, must be presented to them in the state of 
ammonia ; yet not altogether in the pure or saline form, for as such it is too 
readily evaporated or washed away, but, in the dormant, or as one may say, 
the potential conditions, in contradistinction from the actual. Genuine 
Peruvian and Bolivian Guano, like that which I have minutely analyzed 
for Messrs. Antony Gibbs and Sons, of London, and Messrs. W. J. Myera 
and Co., of Liverpool, the two authorized agents for its sale, surpasses very 
far all other kinds of manure, whether natural or artificial, in the quantity 
oi potential ammonia which it contains, and therefore in the permanency of 
its action upon the roots of plants : while in consequence of its ample store 
of ready-formed ammonia, it can give immediate vigor to vegetation. 

" Urate of ammonia constitutes a considerable portion of the azotized 
organic matter of well-preserved Guano ; it is nearly insoluble in water, is 
not volatile, and is capable of yielding to the soil, by its slow decomposi- 
tion, nearly one-third of its weight of ammonia. No other manure can 
rival this animal saline compound. One of the said samples of Guano 
afforded, on analysis, no less than 17 per cent, of potential ammonia 
besides 4^ percent, of the actual or ready- formed ; other samples from 
7 to 8 per cent, of ammonia in each of these respective states. 

" The genuine Guanos of which I have just spoken, are the mere excre- 
ment of birds, and are free from the sand, earth, or clay, and common salt, 
reported in the analysis of some Guanos. Indeed I myself have found 
30 per cent, of sand, with almost no ammonia, in an effete Guano imported 
into England. The Peruvian and Bolivian Guanos contain, moreover, from 
20 to 30 per cent, of phosphate of lime, the same substance as bone-dust ; 
but elabarated by the birds into pulpy consistency, which, while it continues 
insoluble in water, becomes more readily absorbable by the roots of plants^ 
and digestible, so to speak, in their organs. 

"I feel, therefore, well warranted to affirm, that by the judicious applica- 
tion of these genuine Guanos, mixed with twice or thrice their weight of 
marly or mild calcareous earth, to convert the soluble phosphate of ammo- 
nia into bone-earth, especially when they contain much ready-formed 
ammonia, such crops will be produced, even upon sterile lands, as the farmer 
never raised upon the most improved soil by ordinary manure. To the 
-West India planter, the Guano will prove the greatest boon, since it con- 



DIRECTIONS AND RESULTS. 51 

denses, in a portable and inoffensive shape, the means of restoring fertility 
to his exhausted cane-fields ; just as it has long enriched the poor table- 
lands of Peru. 

" Reserving for the present the more particular analyses, the following 
may be offered as the average result of those I have made of genuine 
Guano in reference to its agricultural value : — 

Azotized or organic matter, including urate of ammonia, and capa- 
ble of affording from 8 to 17 per cent, of ammonia, by slow 
decomposition in the soil, ------ 50. 

Water, -11.0 

Phosphate of lime, --------- 25. 

Ammonia, phosphate of magnesia, phosphate of ammonia and oxa- 
late of ammonia, containing from 4 to 9 percent, of ammonia, 13.0 

Siliceous matter from the crops of the birds, - - - - i.o 

100.0 
"ANDREW URE, M.D., F.R.S., &c. 

" Professor of Chemistry and Jlnalytical Chemi st. 
" London, 13 Charlotte Street, Bedford Square, 
13th Feb., 1S43." 



" The following is a detailed statement of experiments made by Thomas 
Stiles, Esq., a respectable and intelligent surgeon and landowner, farming 
part of his own land in the immediate vicinity of Spalding. 

" Dale's Hybrid Turnips, sown on the 27th June, 1842, on ridges 27 inches 
apart. The soil a rich loam, with a sandy subsoil. 

Expense Produce, 
per acre. Tons. Cwt. 

fNo, 1. — 6 cwt. of urate mixed with ashes 36s. 15 10 

^ No. 2. — 6 cwt. of urate, 6 bushels of bones and 

g I I ashes 54s. 17 10 

^ No. 3. — 15 cwt.o[ guano, 4 bushels of bones and 

ashes 42s. 21 4 

No. 4. — 12 2-horse cart-loads of rich farm-yard 

manure 36s. 19 8 

( No. 5. — 6 cwt. of urate, with ashes, 10 loads of 

well-made farm-yard manure 66s. 20 

I No. 6 — 6 cwt. of urate, 6 bushels of bones and 

'^■3 j ashes, 10 loads of the same manure 84s. 21 2 

5 2 I No, 7. — 12 bushels of bones, 3 cwt. of urate, 

'^■- I ashes, 10 loads of manure 84s. 20 15 

"^ No. 8. — U cwt. of guano, 4 bushels of bones, 

ashes, 10 loads of manure 72s. 52 

No. 9. — 12 bushels of bones, ashes, and 10 loads 

of manure 66s. 20 

No. 10. — 2 cwt. of guano and ashes, 10 loads of 
, manure 70s. 20 









%-, be— . 
O S ■„ 



S 13 d 
H 



" Remarks — Guano and bones are now considerably reduced in price, so that 
compost used in experiments No. 3 and 8 may be obtained for about 35s. per 
acre. I should certainly prefer them to any of the others. By their combina- 
tion we obtain a fertilizer of extreme potency ; recent chemical analysis shows 
us that they contain those elements which plants require as food. 



52 



GUANO. 



" The following table shows the result of an experiment alluded to in a 
former report, in growing Swedish turnips with four different kinds of manure, 
which was this season made by Mr. Grieve, the intelligent land-steward of 
Mrs. Ferguson of Dirleton, and on whose perfect accuracy every confidence 
may be placed. The turnips were sown on the 20th of May, and lifted and 
weighed on the 27th November last. The field on which they were grown 
had, until lately, been time immemorial in grass, the soil being a dry fria- 
ble loam. The value of the different manures speaks for itself; but it 
should be noticed that where the Guano was used the turnips seemed to braird 
more rapidly, were earlier ready for the hoe, and kept ahead of the others 
to the end, as if they had been sown at least a fortnight sooner. 



Kinds and Quantities of 
Manures used per acrs. 


Price of 

Manure 

per 

acre. 


Weight of 
Turnips with- 
out roots or 
tops. 


Weight of 

roots and 

tops. 


Weight of 

rotten 
Turnips. 


Weight of 
Total Pro- 
duce per acre. 


Guano, 5 cwts 

Farm dung, 12 carts 
Bones, 26| bushels. . 
Rape dust, 12 cwts.. 


£ s. 

2 15 

3 12 
3 3 
3 


T. C. lb. 

29 17 13 
25 7 8 

25 12i 12 
22 19i 22 


T. C. lb. 

6 12V 11 
6 15 6 
5 If 14 
5 9 


T. C. lb. 

1 13 17 

2 12 13 

14 22 
2 8§ 6 


T. C. lb. 

38 2f 13 
34 14 27 
31 8| 8 
30 17i 



" Scotsman." 

" Results taken from ' Suggestions and Experiments in Practical Agricul- 
ture, by James F. W. Johnson, M.A., F.R.S., L. & E.' &c. The first 
table in the following page, as also two of those following it, refer to experi- 
ments on the farm at Barrochan, near Paisley, under the superintendence of 
Mr. Fleming. It may here be noticed, that in a communication recently 
addressed to Mr. Collingham, by the Hon. A. L. Melville, of Branston 
Hal], near Lincoln, allusion is thus briefly made to some more recent expe- 
riments. ' I hear from my brother that Mr. Fleming, of Barrochan, Ren- 
frewshire, has this year, for the third year, found the most beneficial effects 
from the use of Guano. He has published the result of some former experi- 
ments (on Swede turnips), and his account of them may be thoroughly relied 
on. — November 16, 1843.' 

" The following tables were calculated for Guano at the price of 25s. per 
cwt. ; but the cost of this manure may now be estimated at less than one- 
half — the imported price of the best Guano being from 10s. to I2s. per cwt.* 



* It will at once be seen that in the estimate of the comparative cost of the 
manures used, that of Guano at present prices, say about jGIO, or $50 per 
ton, should be reduced more than one-half from the sums here stated. 



DIRECTIONS AND RESULTS. 



53 



4 
5 

6 

7 
8 
9 

10 

11 

12 
13 

14 

15 

16 

17 
18 
19 
20 
21 
22 
23 



ORCHARD FIELD. 
Description of Manures used. 



Produce of 
~7-^ V'"' r' Bulbs top- 
applied pe p,dand 

tailed, per 



Quantity 



imperial 
acre. 



Peat and Night-soil mixed, 

Gypsum, 

Carbonate of Lime, 

C Sulphate of Ammonia, .. 

< Quick-lime, 

( Soot, 

Sulphjfti-, 

Imitation of Daniel's ) 

mixture, ^ • • -. 

Wood Charcoal Powder, . , 
Fresh Animal Charcoal,. . . 
Exhausted Animal Charc'I, 

Turnbull's Humus, 

Bones dissolved in Muriatic 

Acid, 

Barrochan Artificial Guano, 
Turnbull's do. do... 

NATURAL GUANO,..., 
Salt and Quick-lime mixed ) 

3 months old, ) 

Soot, 

Potash and Lime mixed, ) 

14 months old, I 

Quick lime, 

Wood ashes, 

Bone dust, 

Rape-dust, 

Woollen Rags, 

Farm-yard Dung, 

Nothin?, 




Produce of 
Bulbs, topped 

__, ^_. aad tailed, per 

I im. acre, imperial acre. 



50 bush. 

50 bush. 
10 cwt. 
10 cwt, 
50 bush. 

10 cwts. 

3 cwts. 
3 cwts. 
3 cwts. 

50 bush. 

50 bush. 

50 bush. 

50 bush. 
50 bush. 
40 bush. 

1 ton. 

1 ton. 
20 tons, 



lbs. 
4800 
4080 
4640 

4320 

3980 

4400 

4240 
5920 
5560 
4800 

5200 

4960 
4880 
6560 

4240 

4480 

4400 

3200 
3600 
4160 
4000 
3920 
5200 
3440 



Tons. cwts. qrs. 
17 2 3 
14 11 2 
16 11 2 



CostofManure 
per imperial 

acre, including 
carriage and 
putting on. 



15 8 2 

14 13 1 

15 14 1 

15 2 3 

21 2 3 

19 17 1 

17 2 3 

18 11 3 

17 14 1 

14 11 2 
23 8 2 

15 2 13 

16 00 00 
15 14 1 

11 8 2 

12 17 1 
14 17 1 
14 5 3 
14 

18 11 2 
12 5 3 



£ s. 
6 12 
12 
3 



2 
15 



1 12 



3 00 



15 

1 
1 17 

9 9 

1 15 
5 10 10 

8 10 

9 9 
10 10 



Remarks. — The land is a light loam, loose in texture, and of a light brown 
color, subsoil hard, and full of small stones ; it is of as nearly as possible the 
same quality. The turnip seed was all sown upon the same day. Rain came 
on the night after sowing, and in consequence the crops brairded well, and came 
away strong. Those which show the greatest weight in the table, kept the lead 
of the others all the season. The numbers of the plots in the table are placed 
in the order in which they followed each other on the ground. The crop would 
probably have been larger had there been more rain. 

Among the other experiments upon turnips here stated, those upon Guan(t 
are the most practically successful. Thus, without any farm-yard ma- 
nure — 

Per Acre. Tons. Cwt. Per Acre. 

3 cwt. of Guano alone gave 23 8 of Swedes. 

5 cwt Guano with Ug 2 of Early Yellow. 

20 bushels of wood ashes, J -^ 

5 cwt. Guano alone - - 32 15 of White Globes. 
3i cwt. ditto - - - 20 of Yellow and White mixed. 
3t cwt. ditto - - - 28 of Purple-topped Yellow. 



54 



GUANO. 



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DIRECTIONS AND RESULTS. 



55 



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REMARKS ON THE THREE PRECEDING EXPERIMENTS. 
" On the turnip experiment, Page 53. 

" In these eztperiments, a striking contrast is presented between the effects- 
of rape-dust and those of Guano. 16 cwt. per acre of the former gave 
only 3-J tons of turnip bulbs, while 2 cwt. per acre of the latter gave 5 tons. 
It appears, therefore, that rape-dust requires moist weather or occasional^ 
rains, while Guano, even in very dry seasons, will produce a considerable 
effect. 

" These results are very gratifying, since they seem to show that for the 
turnip crop this light and portable manure may be substituted with safety, 
for farm-yard dung. But they are more gratifying in connection with the 
large reduction which has lately taken place in the price of this substance. 
In none of the cases above mentioned did the quantity applied exceed five 
5wt. per acre. This quantity may now be purchased for three guineaSj, 
*.hough, when these experiments were undertaken, it cost 6/. 5j. 



" On the barley expebiment. Page 55. 

",The true practical value of the experiments upon barley will be showEt; 
by placing them in the following form : — 

Increase. £ s. d. Gost per bush 

Nitrate of soda with common salt gave 5 bush, for 17 6 — 3s. 8d. 

Sulphate of soda with sulphate of> ^ ^^^^^ ^^^ ^ jg g _ 

magnesia., ^ 

Guano (at 12s. 6d.) 17 bush, for 1 19 — 2*. 3d. 

Common Salt 6 bush, for 4 6 — Os. 9d, 

Turnbull's artificial Guano . 2 bush, for 1 4 — 12j. 6d. 

"The cheapest application, without doubt, upon this soi', is common salt; 
Guano would produce the barley at 25. 3d. per bushel, and the larger quan- 
tity reaped, together with the value of the straw in the preparation of ma- 
nure, may satisfy many that either Guano or the mixture of sulphates may, 
be used with profit." 



DIRECTIONS AND RESULTS. 



57 



" On the potato experiment. Page 54. 

" Nearly all the experiments in the first table of results were made 
with mixed manures. 

" Guam and Rape-dusL— Among these the effect of Guano is again 
striking, and upon two of the varieties greatly exceeds that of rape-dust. 
Thus the produce of the three varieties tried was 





Unaided Soil. 


With 3 cwt. 
Guano. 


With 4 cwt. 
Guano. 


With 1 ton of 
rape-dust. 


Whitp T)nn 


Tons. Cwt. 
? ? 
6 15 
5 15 


Tons. Cwt. 
18 9 


Tons. Cwt. 

"14"* 6 
13 14 


Tons. Cwt. 
12 6 




10 


Connaught Cups 




13 







" Sir 

" The following comparative experiment of five different ma- 

nures applied to a potato crop this last season, may not be uninteresting to 
some of my fraternity. In order to give a proper knowledge of the cir> 
cumstances, I will require to premise that the soil is a deep rich loam, but 
in such a droughty situation that the crop was much injured in consequence 
of the very dry season, which caused a comparative deficiency of produce. 
It must also be kept in view that the drought would operate in a greater 
det^ree upon the crop where the farm-yard manure was applied than on the 
others, it being considered inadvisable to apply that manure in the drills tc- 
potatoes in dry situations. With these remarks I beg to subjoin the com- 
parative statement : — 

Cost. Produce. 

Guano and Gypsum mixed, 1 1 cwt. each 24s. 19 ll-16ths Bolls. 

Rape-dust, 5 cwt » 30s. 16 10-16ths do 

Pollards, or fine bran, 5 cwt 30s. 16 ll-16ths do 

Farm-yard Manure, 8 carts, at 4s 42s. 14 ll-16ths do 

Nitrate of Soda, 11 cwt 34s. 12 14-16ths do- 
Each lot contained half an imperial acre. 

" (Signed) Thomas Hume, j.un=. 

" To Messrs. S. Banks and Son." 



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DIRECTIONS AND RESULTS. 59 

" The Liverpool United Brolcers' Circular states, that 2000 tons of 
the new manure, called Guano, has been recently sold in this town 
at from 10/. to 121. per ton. This quantity will raise 10,000 acres of tur- 
nips, as 4 cwt. per acre has been found sufficient for that purpose. With 
that quantity, which at the present price will only cost 21., we ourselves 
raised larger crops of turnips last year than we were able to raise with 8/. 
worth of common manure. If the original importers of this valuable 
manure had been satisfied to offer it to the public at the present price, the 
consumption would have been ten times as great as it is now ; for having 
tried Guano with every description of crop, we do not hesitate to pronounce 
it the cheapest and most valuable manure ever introduced into this countr}'. 
As we are buyers, not sellers of the article, our praise of it is at least dis- 
interested. — Liverpool Times, February 20, 1843." 

" Peruvian and Bolivian Guano. — Wheat, Barley, Oats, <^c. 



"The Stewponey Agricultural Society have published a new edition of 
their rules and regulations, included in which is the ' Essay on Manures,' 
by Mr. Daniel Banton, of Seisdon, a member of the society, which gained 
the prize at fheir last anniversary meeting. This essay contains the result 
of certain experiments tried with various manures in the cultivation of 
wheat. 

" ' I have used Guano and nitrate of soda as manures for wheat and tur- 
nips rather extensively this year, the particulars of which, upon wheat, I 
shall give below, and have only to state here, with regard to turnips, that 
Guano promises to be an effective manure. I have applied it both for com- 
mon turnips and Swedes, and it appears to answer well in both cases. Part 
of a field for Swedes had half a dressing^ in the winter with fold-yard ma- 
nure, not of the best quality, and ploughed in immediately before being ridged 
up. I had sown on the surface scarcely 1 cwt. of Guano per acre ; the 
other part of the field was dressed with butcher's manure. The Swedes 
are not early, but still growing fast, and promise to be a big crop. The 
part where the Guano was used, is quite as good as the other, and perfectly 
free from mildevs^. I applied 1 cwt. of Guano upon a plot of spring 
vetches, but could see no effect. 

" ' The following manures were made trial of in a field of land (in toler- 
able good condition) situate at Seisdon, within the limits of the Stewponey 
Agricultural Society, in the county of Stafford. The soil a light sandy 
loam, commonly called " turnip and barley land," subsoil a gravelly sand, 
basep on a red sandstone. This field has a gently sloping aspect to the 
north-west, a year-old clover root, flay ploughed, and drilled seven inches 
wide with white wheat, on the lUih of Oct., 1841, at the rate of 2h bushels 
per acre, 38 quarts to the bushel. The plant of wheat was thick and strong 
through the winter, and at the time of applying the manures, was rather 
forward for the season. On the 23d of April six plots of land were accu- 



60 



GUANO. 



rately measured with a chain, each containing one-eighth of an acre, and 
manured as under : — 

No. 1, with Guano, at the rate of li cwt. per acre. 
" 2, Guano and nitrate of soda, equal proportions, 11 cwt. per acre 

together. 
" 3, nitrate of soda, li cwt. per acre. 
" 4, white caustic lime, at the rate of 4 tons per acre. 
" 5, lime and salt, in proportion of 5 cwt. of salt to 10 cwt. of lime 

per acre, mixed a week before being applied. 
" 6, had no manure. 

*' ' There was no rain for ten days after the manures were applied : the 
days being hot. and the nights generally frosty. Seven days after the first 
rain, a slight difference in color was visible in plots Nos. 1, 2, and 3, where 
the nitrate and Guano were applied; and on the 16th of May, a striking 
difference was seen in those plots to the rest of the field, the nitrate 
assuming the deepest, the nitrate and Guano the next shade, and the Guano 
the palest green of the three. There were no visible effects where 
lime alone, and lime and salt, were put. From May, till the wheat shot into 
the ear, which it did at the same time all over the field, the plots Nos. 1, 
2, and 3, might be distinctly traced by the eye at a considerable distance. 

" ' Mr. Banton then proceeds to notice that the red rust, which generally 
prevailed in the neighborhood, attacked the plots 1, 2, and 3, particularly 
that on which the nitrate of soda alone was spread. He considers that 
white wheat is more subject to rust than red ; but though white wheat 
is yearly more or less attacked by it, the sample or yield is very rarely 
injured. 

"' The crop was cut by Welshmen, with hooks, on the 12th of August, 
and the produce of each plot kept by itself, and so threshed. The result 
of which was as under : — 




" ' I have not calculated the tail-corn, which was very trifling, not ex- 
ceeding a quart from each lot. It appears that the lime and salt did not 
produce any effect, except half a pound per bushel in the weight. It 
perhaps will appear singular that each lot was the same weight per bushel 
in the first five, but such was the case. The nitrate and Guano were pro- 



DIRECTIONS AND RESULTS. 



61 



cured direct from the importer, and I believe were genuine. Nitrate 
34s. 6d., and the Guano 20s. per cwt. The lime 12s, and salt 19s. per ton. 
exclusive of carriage. 

SUMMARY. 







Increased 


Increased 


Total in- 


Net Profit 


Loss per 






value of 


value of 


crease m 


per Acre, 


Acre, after 


Cost of Manure per Acre, 




Straw per 


Grain per 


value of 


after de- 


deducting 
cost of 


including Carriage. 




Acre, at 


Acre at 7s. 


Crop per 


ducting the 






2s. 6d. 


per bushel. 


Acre. 


e.\pense of 


manure. 






per cwt. 


imp. meas. 




manure. 




£ S. 


d. 


£ s. d. 


£ s. d. 


£ s. d. 


£ s. d. 


£ S. d. 


Guano, ... 1 7 


6 


1 7 


2 2 


3 9 


2 1 6 




Nitrate and Guano, 1 10 


3 


18 2 


1 15 


2 13 2 


1 2 11 




Nitrate of Soda 














alone, ... 1 13 





18 4 


14 


1 12 4 




8 


Lime, .... 3 8 





18 2 


1 11 6 


2 2 8 




1 5 4 


Lime and Salt, . 14 





None. 


None. 
— • 


.. 




14 



" The summary of the results of this clever farmer's experience is, that 
Guano produced the greatest increase in the crop, both of straw and grain, 
at the smallest cost. We observe he complains that the cost of lime and 
nitrate of soda, and indeed of most other manures, is disproportionately 
high : 20s. a cwt. he appears to have paid for the Guano employed in the 
above experiment. It is now to be had at 12s. a cwt., and may be pur- 
chased even lower when a large quantity is taken. Estimating, therefore, 
Guano at 12s. a cwt., the result would be (we make the same allowance 
for carriage as Mr. Banton, which, we presume, includes the cost of putting 
it on the land), that 17s. of Guano per acre gives six bushels, or two bags 
an acre, more than the average of No. 6, which had no manure ; and eleven 
tons more straw, or a net profit, after deducting the cost of manure, of 21. 
9s. per acre ; the reduction which has taken place in the cost of Guano 
making a difference of 10s. an acre in the cost of applying it. We think 
it right to state these facts for the information of our agricultural readers." 
— Guano, its Analysis and Effects, 1842. 



" Barley. 

" From the numerous experiments which have been made with different 
manures in different parts of the kingdom, on almost every variety of soil 
and situation, it is reasonable to hope, that by a comparison of the results 
obtained by these means, we may arrive at something near the truth, and 
be enabled to form an estimate of the relative value of the substances that 
may have been made the subject of investigation. It is with the view of 
assisting in this important work, that I have received the permission of 
Sir Charles Lemon, Bart., M. P., to transmit you the following details of 
some experiments made at Carclew, in 1843, for the purpose of testing, on 
a small scale, the merits of certain manures, when applied as a top-dressing 



62 GUANO. 

to growing crops ; and although they are far too limited in extent for us to 
draw any positive conclusions from them as lo the real value or inefficiency 
of either of the substances employed, they will probably be useful in some 
degree, as exhibiting their fertilizing powers under circumstances precisely 
similar in every respect. 

" The subjects selected for this experiment were, 1, nitrate of soda ; 2, 
sulphate of soda ; 3, Guano ; 4, sulphate of ammonia: 5, Stott's soluble 
manure ; and, 6, drainings from the farm-yard. The field considered as 
the most suitable for giving the whole a fair trial, was one with a high open 
exposure sloping to the south, where the soil is a free light loam, averaging 
about a foot in depth, on a yellow clayey subsoil, interspersed with spar. 
It had been well mauured the previous season, and cropped with turnips. 
After these were removed, the ground was ploughed and prepared for bar- 
ley, which was sown in the latter part of April. On the 15th May the 
manures were applied, the tenth part of an acre being allotted for each ex- 
periment. [After some remarks »on the other manures, Mr. Booth pro- 
ceeds thus : — ] 

" Guano. — The conflicting statements which have appeared from time to 
time respecting the proper quantity which ought to be applied of this ma- 
nure, and the failures that have occurred from using it too bountifully, in- 
duced me to use a much smaller proportion of it than is now recommended, 
but, notwithstanding this, its effects were truly remarkable ; for, although 
only 16i lbs. were sown dry over this allotment, which is at the rate of 
about li cwt. per acre, it could readily be distinguished during the grow- 
ing season from any other part of the field. The corn tillered well, and 
appeared thicker than in Nos. 1 & 2, and although somewhat shorter, it 
was in other respects equally strong and health}^, and of a rich deep green. 
It deserves to be noticed that, at the time of binding up the corn, the work- 
men remarked what appeared to them to be a difference in the weight of 
the sheaves, compared with those in the first and second plots, which they 
had previously bound up, and the result showed an increase over the nitrate 
of soda, of no less than 81 lbs. of straw, and 74 lbs. of corn; the weight of 
the straw being 280 lbs., of corn, 252 lbs. ; equal to 5 lbs., or 50 bushels 
per acre. Besides this experiment, I have made several others with 
Guano in a liquid state, on vegetables in the kitchen garden, all of which 
have satisfied me that this manure, when unadulterated, is one of the most 
powerful that can possibly be employed for gardening purposes. Its ef- 
fects are visible in the course of eight or ten days after its application. 
For onions, celery, and the cabbage tribe, it surpasses anything of the 
kind I ever witnessed. I had portions of each of those vegetables watered 
with Guano, without being made aware of the particular spots so treated, 
and at the end of a week I had no difficulty in pointing out every one of 
them where the Guano had been used. 

" The subjoined table will more readily show the results of the several 
experiments : — 



BIRECTIONS AND RESULTS. 



63 



TABLE 

Showing the result of Experiments with different Manures applied 
as a top-dressing to Barley, 1843. 





5§ 

XJ ^ 

III 

s c 
<3° 


Price. 


Produce of 

one-tenth of 

an Acre. 


Cost 
per 
Acre. 


Rate of 

Produce per 

Acre. 


Kind of Manure. 


is 

02 


1 


■i 

3 
C3 


Straw. 


c 
o 
O 


Nothing 
(.Nitrate of Soda . 

2. Sulphate of Soda 

3. Guano .... 

4. Sulphate of Am- ) 

monia . . .\ 

5. Scott's Soluble ) 

Manure . . . ^ 

6. Drainings of farm- } 

yards .... 5 


lbs. 

33. V 
33 J 

m 

12 

221 

glls. 
100 


s. d. 

6 
3 

2 

3 11 

4 


lbs. 

233 
199 
264 
280 

269 
288 

300 


lbs. 
200 
178 
215 
252 

232 
257 

256 


4 
31 

4f 
5 

41 
51 

5i 


^ s. d. 

3 
1 10 
1 

1 19 2 

2 


cwt. qr. lb. 
20 3 6 
17 3 2 

23 2 8 
25 

24 2 

25 2 24 

26 3 4 


bsh. 
40 
37 
43 J 
50 

47i 
53J 

52 



W. B. Booth, Carclevv, 25th November, 1843, 



'©UANa 



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63 



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Guano sown after 
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ed in, and har- 
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Nos. 1, 2, and 3. 

Well manured with 
dung for the po- 
tato crop. The 
land was in good 
heart, and tolera- 
bly clean, though 
naturally poor. 










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DIRECTICNS AND RESULTS. 



65 



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DIRECTIONS AND RESULrS. 



67 



EXPERIMENTS BY ROBERT MONTEITH, ESQ., OF CARSTAIRS. 

"I. — Oat Crop, 1843. — Part of a field manured with 2G7 lbs. of Guano, 
at the cost of 3l5. per imperial acre, produced, per acre, 59 bushels. 

"Manured with 10 bushels bone-dust, at the cost of 28^. id. per imperial 
acre, produced, per acre, 43 bushels. 

" The difference may be stated as follows : — 

Cost of Guano, 3l5. Od. ; produce 59 bushels, at 2s. 6d., £7 7 6 
Cost of Bones, 235. 4d. ; produce 43 bushels, at 2s. 6d., 5 7 6 



7s. 8d. 
Deduct dilference of manure, 



2 

7 8 



Leaving in favor of Guano, - - - £l 12 4 

" II.-^Hay Crop, 1843. — To part of a field, manured the previous year 
with farm-yard dung, was given 267 lbs. of Guano per imperial acre, at the 
cost of 3l5., and the extra produce per acre was 22 cwt. of hay, 
Which, at 35. per cwt., is - - - £3 6 
Deduct expense of Guano, - - - 1110 <• 



Leaving in favor of Guano, - - - £l 15 per Acre. 
" III.— With Turnip, 1843. 





Quan- 




tity ol 


Vo. 


land 




tried. 




Acre. 


1 




2 




3 




4 




5 




6 




7 




8 


1-16 


9 


1-16 


10 




11 




12 




13 





Description of Manure tried, and 
quantity per Imperial Acre. 



Dung. 

28 yds, 
Ditto 
Ditto 
Ditto 
Ditto 
Diito 
Ditto 



Cost of I Cost of 
Dung other 
per Manures 
Acre, iper Acre. 



Guano, 4 cwt. . 
Sulphate of Soda, 1 cwt. 
Burned Bones, 6 cwt. 
Bone-dustj 20 bushels 

Gypsum, 2 cwt. 
Guano, 4 cwt. . . 
Beech-ashes, 48 bushels 5 12, q 
Gypsum, 6 cwt. 
Bone-dust, 25 bushels 
5 Ditto, 12 bushels; ) 
I 133 lbs. Guano 5 
Guano, 356 lbs. 
Guano, 267 lbs. . . 



£s. d.\£ 
— j2 
12 00 
12 0i2 
12 0!2 
12 
12 00 
12 0,2 



Total 

Cost per 

Acre. 



d. £ 
02 
05 



8 9 



12 



08 
06 



s. d, 

8 
16 
14 
18 
12 





4 

1 

3 



2 14 3 



18 



Produce 
perlinperiaJ 

Acre, 
stored Nov. 

J 5, 1833. 



T. Cwt. 
11 8 



8 
11 

2 
19 

1 
13 
12 



A failure. 

9 6 

11 15 



11 

10 




15 



" November 30, 1843. — The turnip-crop on the field in which the above 
experiments were tried, was fully one-third deficient in quantity from crops 
generally grown on such land in this part of the country, the soil being 
heavy and under medium quality. All the turnip-crops in this neighbor- 
hood are, however, from one-third to one-half deficient this season. — 
Quarterly Journal of Agriculture. 

GRASS AND HAY. 

" The lawn on which the following experiment was made, has been under 
the scythe from 14 to 15 years ; the soil is of a light sandy nature, over a 
layer of 10 or 12 feet deep of brown sand, which is superincumbent upon 
a bed of clay. It will be seen by our April experiment, that 34 oz. Guano, 
per yard, produced a greater weight of grass than that which had 4 oz^ 



68 



GUANO. 



per yard ; this result rendered it desirable to ascertain whether 3^ oz. per 
yard was the maximum for land such as this trial was made on. Oar 
committee, who have taken a warm interest in this matter, suggested that 
another trial should be made : the result is now before you ; and though 
the season was far advanced (21st July and 4th August) and the lawn re- 
peatedly mowed before the manure was applied, the effect of the Guano 
and nitrate on the hungry soil was truly surprising, for during the sultry 
month of September, the portion done over with Guano and nitrate formed 
a striking contrast in color and luxuriance to the surrounding sward. 



APRIL EXPERIMENT. 



The produce of 1 square yard, on which 1 oz. Gua- 
no mixed with ashes was spread, weighed 3 lbs. 

The produce of 1 yard, on which lA oz. Guano 
mi\ed with ashes was spread, weighed 3 lbs. 2oz. 

The produce of 1 yard, on which 2 oz. Guano mixed 
with ashes was spread, weighed 3 lbs. ] lA oz 

The produce of 1 yard on which 21 oz. Guano mixed 
with ashes was spread, weighed 4 lbs. 4 oz. 

The produce of 1 yard on which 3 oz. Guano mixed 
with ashes was spread, weighed 4 lbs. 11 oz. . 

The produce of 1 yard on which 3i oz. Guano mixed 
with ashes was spread, weighed .5 lbs. 14 oz. . 

The produce of 1 yard on which 4 oz. Guano mixed 
with ashes was spread, weighed 4 lbs. 10 oz. . 

The produce of 21 square yards, on which SOj oz. 
Guano mixed with ashes was spread, weighed 
69 lbs. I5 oz. The same, when dry or made 
hay, 24 lbs. 2 oz 

The produce of 21 yards, on which 7^ oz. nitrate 
of soda mixed with ashes was spread, weighed 
56 lbs. 65 oz. The same, when made into hay, 
weighed 17 lbs. 1 oz 

The produce of 21 yards, on which 42 oz. granu 
lated compost was spread, weighed 42 lbs. 6 oz 
The same, when made into hay, 15 lbs. 2^ oz. 

The produce of 21 yards, without manure, 37 lbs 
14i oz. The same, when dry, 13 lbs. 6 oz. 

The produce of 4 yards, on which 1 oz. nitrate of 
soda mixed with ashes was spread, weighed 10 
lbs. 4 oz. 

The produce of 4 yards, on which U oz, nitrate of 
soda was spread, weighed 1 1 lbs. 2 oz. . 

The produce of 4 yards, on which 2 oz. nitrate of 
soda mixed with ashes was spread, weighed 
15 lbs 



RATE PER ACRE. 



Produce. 
Grass. 



Tons. cwts. lbs. oz. 

6 9 72 

6 15 5 

8 78 12 

9 3 74 
10 2 63 8 
12 13 99 

9 19 92 



Manure. 
Guano. 



Hay. 

2 9 60 

1 15 15 

1 11 10 

1 7 52 



Cwts. lbs. oz. 

2 78 8 

4 5 12 

5 45 

6 84 4 

8 II 8 

9 50 12 
10 90 



3 102 7 



Grass. 

5 10 82 8 

6 21 4 
8 2 6 



Nitrate 
OF Soda. 

107 13 



Gran. 

COMIOST. 

5 43 12 



Nitrate 
of SorA. 

75 10 

1 ] 7 

1 39 4 



Fall ofrain in May, 3-10 
Do. in June, 1-90 



5* inches. 



DIRECTIONS AND RESULTS. 



69 



JULY EXPERIMENT. 



The proflnce of 10 square yards, on which 3 oz. 

Guano per yard mixed with ashes was spread, 

weighed 9 lbs. 3 oz., ..... 
The produce of 10 yards, on which 4 oz. Guano 

per yard was spread, weighed iO lbs. 13 oz. 
The produce of 10 yards, on which 5 oz. Guano 

per yard was spread, weighed II lbs. 5 oz. 
The produce of 10 yards, on which 6 oz. Guano 

per yard was spread, weighed 1 1 lbs. 8 oz. 
The produce of 3 yards, on which 7 oz. Guano 

per yard was spread, weighed 3 lbs. II5 oz. 
The produce of 3 yards, on which 8 oz. Guano 

per yard was spread, weighed 3 lbs. 1 1 oz 
The produce of 10 yards, without manure, 4 lbs. 

11 oz 



The produce of 2 yards, on which 2 oz. nitrate of 

soda |)er yard was spread, weighed 2 lbs. J oz. 
The produce of 2 yards, on which 3 oz. per yard 

nitrate of soda was spread, weighed 2 lbs. 4^ oz. 
The ])roduce of 2 yards, on which 4 (iz. nitrate per 

yard was spread, weighed 2 lbs. 5 oz. 
The produce of 2 yards, on which 5 oz. nitrate of 

soda per yard was spread, weighed t lbs. 6' oz. 
The proiluce of 2 yards without manure, weighed 

15 oz. . 

The following trial was made on the 4th August 
with a new description of Guano, fiom the Cape of 
Good Hope, which was reported to contain 40 per 
cent, of animal matter; the grass was cut on the 
24th October: — 

The produce of 2 yards, on which 1 oz. Cape Gua- 
no per yard was spread, weighed 1 lb. 2^ oz. 

The produce of 2 yards, on which 2oz. Cape Gua- 
no perfaid was spread, weished 1 lb. 5v oz. 

The proiluce of 2 yards, on which 3 oz. Cape Gua- 
no per yard vvas spread, weighed 1 lb. 8 oz. 

The pioduceof 2 yards, on whicli 4 oz. Cape Gua- 
no per yard was spread, weished 1 lb. 12 oz. 

The produce of 2 yards, on which 5 oz. Cape Gua- 
no per yard was spread, weighed 1 lb. 14 oz. 

The produce of 2 yards without manure, 12 oz . 



KATE PER ACHE. 



Produce. 

HiY. 



Tons. cwts. lbs. oz 

1 19 78 12 

2 6 96 6 
2 8 99 4 
2 9 78 
2 13 62 10 
2 13 5 11 

1 28 12 

2 99 10 
2 9 32 10 
2 9 108 4 
2 11 (08 2 

1 23 12 



1 4 11 2 

19 3 14 

1 12 46 

1 17 91 8 

2 57 
1 12 46 



IVl ASURB. 

Guano. 



Cwts 
8 
10 
13 
16 
18 
21 



lbs. oz. 

U 8 

90 

56 8 

23 

101 8 

68 



Nitrate 
OF Soda. 
5 45 

8 118 

10 90 

13 56 8 



African 
Guano. 
2 78 8 

5 45 

8 118 

10 90 

13 56 8 



Rain in Aug. 


2-60 


Do. Sept. 


•20 


Do. Oct. 


8-00 



Botanic Garden, Manchester, 
December 15, 1843. 



10-80 



Alex. Campbell. 



70 GUANO. 

The Right Honorable Sir Robert Peel. 

" At the Institution of the Tamworth Farmers' Club, which was cele- 
brated by a public dinner on the 24th of October, 1843, in the Town Hall, 
Sir Robert Peel took the chair, and in the course of his opening discourse, 
spoke of Guano in the following terms : — 

" You remember, Gentlemen, that I set out by stating that practical 
observations are much more valuable at meetings of this kind, than any 
elaborate eloquent common-places about the importance of agriculture. 
I therefore requested a friend of mine, — who I knew had carefully made 
an experiment, with respect to the merits of a new manure, the name of 
which, I have no doubt, is quite familiar to you, Guano, — I requested him 
to make an experiment with the greatest care and fairness, and to com- 
municate to me the result. Gentlemen, he has done so, and I am quite 
sure you will excuse me if I state to you the particulars of the experiment. 
My friend took a field of two acres, and planted it with potatoes. The 
ridges in which the potatoes were grown were of the same length, and 
the potatoes of the same quality ; and the produce of the several ridges 
having been taken up and measured, the average result of the produce — 
(the soil being the same, the potatoes the same in quality, the manure 
being applied with perfect fairness, and exactly in the same manner) — the' 
average result of the produce, in proportionate returns, was this : — 
The stable manure, - 9 bushels of potatoes. 
Potter's manure, - - 11 " " 

Guano, ... 15 " " 

" I asked for further details, in order that the information might be com- 
plete, and here they are : the Guano and Potter's manure (so called from 
the name of the person who prepares and sells it) were each mixed with 
wood-ashes and fine mould, in the proportion of one bushel' of Guano, or 
Potter's manure, to six bushels of ashes and mould. A bushel of Guano 
weighs about 65 lbs. ;* three bushels of Guano and three of Potter's ma- 
nure, making 510 lbs. in weight, were put on the ridges at two different 
times, being at the rate of 3 cwt. per acre, each of these manures costing 
145. a cwt. ; half of each was put into the ridges when the potatoes were 
planted, and the other half when the potatoes were appearing about one 
inch out of the ground, covering in the Guano and Potter's, by hoeing and 
raising the ridges. The potatoes were planted on the 4th of April, and 
taken up early in October. The produce exceeded 600 bushels, the field 
having been previously exhausted, and in very bad order. The total ex- 
pense, including every charge, was 16/. ; and calculating the value of the 
potatoes at Is. the bushel, the profit on the two acres was 14/., the value 
of the land being about 1/. per acre if let. Such was the result of that 
experiment ; and it was made with perfect fairness." — Times, of 25th 
October, 1843. 

* In the Times the weight is called 85 lbs. ; but this is an error of the 
press, the real weight of Peruvian and Bolivian Guano, when unadulterated 
and undamaged, being about 65 lbs. 



DIKECTIONS AND RESULTS. 71 

"Walton Nursery, near Liverpool, Feb. 15, 1844. 

" Sir, — I beg to acknowledge your letter of the 12th instant, and in 
answer to your question respecting the durability of Guano as a manure, 
I have great pleasure in giving you my opinion, which is founded on ex- 
periments with the Guano I have had from your house during the last 
three years. I am now thoroughly convinced that Guano is not only a 
most valuable manure for the first crop, but for crops for years after, 
according to the quantity at first applied. 

" I have noticed minutely the effect of Guano on the crops for three 
successive years, where it was first applied at the rate of 4 cwt. to the 
statute acre. The first crop was grass, the second turnips, the third oats, 
and every year each of those crops were excellent and decidedly better 
than when I applied 20 tons of farm-yard manure to the same quantity of 
land adjoining. There is, therefore, no longer any doubt in my mind 
about the lasting qualities of genuine Guano as a manure, where it is 
properly applied for permanent purposes, nor can there be any doubt of its 
being the cheapest manure we know of; for in the experiments I allude to 
the Guano cost 2/. 85., the farm-yard manure 10^. — ten shillings per ton 
being the common price for the best horse and cow dung here in the spring 
time. 

" In this neighborhood a great deal of Guano has been used for top- 
dressing grass land at the rate of 2 cwt. to the acre, and in all cases that 
I have heard of, it has given very great crops the first year : but some of 
the parties who have used it in this way, complain that they did not see 
much improvement in the crop the second year. I should have been very 
much surprised if they had, for I have many times seen 51. worth of farm- 
yard dung applied as a top-dressing to an acre, and never could see any 
advantage of it after the first year. Tf people want manure to have a 
permanent effect, let them bury it in the land, and they will have the 
benefit for yearb ; but if they lake and scatter it to the sun and wind, with- 
out ploughing or digging it in, they will never see its effect after the first 
crop. 

" I continue to use Guano to crops of all kinds on my farm or garden, 
and in my nursery grounds, and in a liquid state I have used it in my 
hot-houses and green-houses, to plants of every kind, with great benefit 
to all. 

" In market-gardens and kitchen-gardens of any kind, I consider Guano 
invaluable ; for by proper application of the liquid in tlie spring months, 
you not only double the quantity of many crops, but vi-ith such as rhubarb, 
«ea-kale, asparagus, &c.-, you get them much earlier, which is a double 
advantage. In short, in all the departments of my business, whether the 
farm or nursery. Guano seems now indispensable. Whenever we see a 
crop not thriving, we apply Guano the first wet day afterwards, and if the 
«rop is not too far advanced, it generally has a very good effect. 

" Manure is the mainspring in all farming or gardening operations ; 
without plenty of it our labor is in vain. We may drain well, subsoil. 



72 GUANO. 

plontrh or disf Jeep, but without abundance of manure, land can no more 
be •profitably worked than a horse can that is half fed. 

" With the assistance of Guano, I had plenty of prass to mow last year 
from the fifst week in April until the first week in December, besides a 
good bite of after-grass for grazing. To conclude, 1 beg to state, as my 
opinion, that the discovery of Guano is by far the most important of the 
age, either for agriculture or horticulture, and I for one feel particularly 
indebted to you for its introduction into England. 

" I am your most obedient servant, 

" Wm. Skirving. 

" William Joseph Myers, Esq." 

"^ Wrexham, 15th February, 1844. 

" Dear Sirs, — Since T wrote to you last vear, I have continued my 
experiments with your Peruvian and Bolivian Guano, and they have most 
fully confirmed my opinion of its great value as a top-dressing for grass- 
land. Much care, however, is requisite not to use it in too large quantities, 
or in dry weather. 

" As far as my experience goes, 3 cwt. (or thirty shillings' worth, 
wholesale price) is ample to manure a statute acre, producing a large and 
early hay-crop, and abundance of after-grass. 

" It must not, however, be applied all at one time, but one-half when the 
field is put up for hay, and the other as soon after mowing as the v%'eather 
will permit, it being absolutely necessary in both cases to sov/ during, or 
immediately before, rain. 

" I tried it this way last season with the best results ; both my crop of 
hay and the after-grass were the finest in the neighborhood ; and, with the 
exception of a very few mangels and turnips, also raised with Guano, my 
cows have had nothing but the hay or grass so grown, have been in the 
best health, and are at present giving as much milk as those of any of my 
neighbors. 

" When a large quantity (4 or 5 cwt.) of Guano is used at once, the 
effect on grass-land, instead of being beneficial, is often most injurious, 
causing a rapid growth of extremely coarse grass, and destroying the finer 
kinds. If those who had used it in this way had satisfied themselves with 
3 or 4 cwt., divided into two, or even three sowings, the result would have 
been altogether different. 

" The best and most economical mode of preparing it for use is to spread 
2 cwt. of dry soil three or four inches thick, lay 1 1-2 cwt. of Guano over 
it, and 2 cwt. of soil on that again, leaving the heap for two or three days 
protected from the weather, when it must be well mixed and sifted through 
a common garden sieve. Thus prepared, it can be sown without inconve. 
nience to the farmer, and spread without loss equally over the field. 

" Another year's experience in the kitchen garden has proved the value 
of Guano, both as a manure and as a preventive to clubbing, so common to 
all the cabbage tribe. My gardener digs it well in at the time of planting;, 



DIRECTIONS AND RESULTS. 73 

and uses it as a top dressing when required ; applied in this way, dining 
rain, its effects have sometimes been wonderful. 

" It answers particularly well also for onions, leeks, spinach, asparagus* 
and sea-kale. With a mixture of two to about three barrowfuls of sand 
and good soil — half-and-half — I obtained this autumn, from root-cullings 
put into the ground in the spring, sea-kale equal in size and strength to 
those from old plants. Believe me, dear Sir, 

" Yours most truly, 

"D. W. 

" Messrs. Gibbs, Bright & Co." 

" Drumore, February 17, 1844. 

" Gentlemen, — I have much pleasure in testifying to the splendid results 
experienced by our agriculturists from the application of Guano, imported 
by me from your stock in spring last, and which has been used upon up- 
wards of 200 different farms in this district (the Rhyns of Galloway), 
embracing almost every variety of soil, universally producing results supe- 
rior to the most sanguine anticipations ; convincing the most skeptical of 
its unrivalled superiority as a manure, whether applied to white or green 
crops. 

" It was used here in a very limited extent in the spring of 1842, and so 
far it appears to have as much durability and effect upon the after-crops as 
any other manure now in use. 

" I have been kindly favored with reports from a few of our most emi- 
nent farmers and agriculturists that have had two years' experience of 
Guano, and which I beg to hand you herewith. I expect a few more in 
course of a post or two, that I will forward upon receipt, as they may be 
important to lay before the public. 

" There is not one farmer that I sold the article to last season, but ex- 
presses himself highly satisfied of its efficacy ; and those that have used 
it two years are quite convinced of its durability, particularly when ap- 
plied at the rate of 4 cwl. per acre. 2 1-2 cwt. per acre has been found 
to produce an excellent crop of turnips ; but in general that quantity has 
not told so effectually on the after-crops as when a greater quantity has 
been used. 

" From what I have seen of Guano in this district, it appears peculiarly 
adapted to cold, damp, or mossy soils that have been thoroughly drained, 
where bones or farm-yard manure is of little effect. Guano appears to 
me to require a considerable quantity of moisture to make it act properly. 
I have observed that it is sooner affected by drought than bones or dung, 
when applied to light dry soils. I consider that a dropping season would 
greatly favor Guanoed crops upon dry sharp soils ; still the results have 
been splendid upon every variety. I know one farmer that had 32 cwt. 
of potatoes per acre more from Guano alone, applied at only 3 cwt. per 
acre, than he had from either full dung or half dung and half Guano, in the 
same field : it was a light gravelly soil. The foregoing are a few general 



74 



CiUANO. 



remarks, according to my own observations, referring to the reports here- 
with. I am, gentlemen, your most obedient servant, 

" James Watson. 
" Messrs. Wm. J. Myers & Co." 

" Capesthorne, February 13, 1844. 

" Sir, — I received yours this morning, and now, when a little at leisure, 
I will answer your inquiry regarding Guano. 

"From the pretty extensive and detailed experiments with Guano that 
we have made at Capesthorne since you first imported it, I might go into 
a considerable tabular account of its superiority over every other manure 
that we have tried ; but its powerful effects being universally admitted, it 
may be enough now for me to say, on the score of its superiority, that it 
has outstripped any of the other manures which we have tried it with, as 
well for cheapness as for quantity of produce of every kind of crop. On 
Mr. Davenport's Woodford estate, in 1842, we tried it with wheat at 2 1-2 
cwt. per statute acre, which crop turned out the best in the township. On 
the same estate, on another field, we sowed a meadow with 2 cwt. to the 
acre : this was allowed by all who saw it to be the best crop of hay they 
had ever seen in that part of the country : this was on a farm Mr. Daven- 
port has taken into his own hand to improve. On the same farm we have 
now gro.ving about thirty acres of wheat, manured with 2 cwt. of Guano 
to the acre, which looks beautiful. We always sow along with Guano an 
equal quantity of gypsum, which tends greatly to prevent the good qualities 
of the Guano from flying off. Improper treatment of good Guano, and 
the use of adulterated stuff, have in many instances brought discredit on 
the name ; but if the best is sown in a proper way, none will be disap- 
pointed but in one thing, and that is, in having a much heavier crop than 
what they could expect. As to its enduring for more than one crop, we 
have many satisfactory instances. I will name one or two. In 1842, on 
the home-farm here, a piece of ground was done with 4 cwt. per acre, 
while the other part of the field was done with good farm-yard muck : both 
these plots were sown with yellow turnips ; the great superiority of the 
oat crop in 1843, where the Guano was sown, over the farm-yard manure, 
could be seen to an inch by the least attentive observer in passing along 
the end of the field ; and the grass-seed plants on the same piece of ground, 
before the present storm set in, were stronger and better than where the 
farm manure was laid. A piece of pasture sown at the rate of 2 cwt. to 
the acre in 1842, up to the present time shows a much finer plant and 
greater luxuriance than where nothing was put on. Again ; on a piece of 
grass-land sown in 1842, ploughed up in 1843, and sown with oats, to a 
furrow the superiority of the crop could be seen at a considerable distance. 
Not knowing the exact nature of the pamphlet you are publishing, I have 
not by any means written the above to be inserted as it stands ; but if it 
contains anything like the matter which you wish, you can put it in such 
a shape as will suit your publication ; and if there is anything connected 



DIRECTIONS AND RESULTS. 75 

« 
with the subject which I have omitted, I will be glad to afford you every 
information that lies in my power. 1 am not sure whether one of my 
pamphlets was sent to you or not : if this has been omitted, you will get 
one at Mr. Cannel's office, Castle Street. If you wish a detailed account 
of our experiments for the two by-gone years, you shall have them with 
pleasure. I am, Sir, yours very respectfully, 

" George Brown. 
" To Wm. J. Myers, Esq." 

Shelton, Shreivsbury, February 14, 1844. 

" Gentlemen — In the year 1842, 1 supplied about 40 gentlemen and practi- 
cal farmers with Guano, residing in the counties of Salop and Montgomery, 
in quantities from 1 ton to 3 cwts. each. It was generally applied in vari- 
ous ways ; top-dressing wheat, barley, vetches, and grass ; also to turnips 
and potatoes ; and they all speak in the highest terms of the fertilizing 
effects it produced upon the different crops, much exceeding their expecta- 
tions. 

" In the year 1843, I supplied upwards of 100 gentlemen and practical 
farmers of the above counties with Guano, and a great part was applied to 
turnips, potatoes, and grass, with the most beneficial effects : the grass 
cutting in some instances double the quantity of hay and aftermath, more 
than other parts of the same fields produced ; and the turnips a much 
heavier and better crop than from farm-yard manure. One gentleman told 
me he had as fine a crop of turnips as ever grew from Guano, and the cost 
per acre did not exceed the value of the carting of the farm-yard dung per 
acre to the adjoining field. 

"Guano is particularly adapted to light soils, where the straw crop is 
seldom heavy, and consequently produces a small quantity of manure ; and 
also where the lands lie a great distance from the homestead, the fajmer 
may, with one horse and cart, convey as much Guano as will manure 8 
acres of land in a few hours, wherein it would take 2 teams, with perhaps 8 
or 10 horses several days, to cart manure to the same extent of land. I 
consider Guano a manure of great importance to farms of the above descrip- 
tion. 

" I recommend to be applied to each acre 3 cwt. I have so applied it, and 
find the second year's crop to be equal to the first year. 

" Some Guano sold in this country has not had the desired effect, as some 
parties expected, either by applying it improperly, or purchasing an inferior 
article at a few shillings per ton less cost. There is some Guano adulterat- 
ed in different ways, and can easily be done without detection. Your well" 
conditioned Guano may be adulterated by adding any fluid to it, so as to 
increase the weight of it 10 or 15 per cent., and therefore enables parties 
to sell at a less price. 



76 GUANO 

" If you think this statement of mine, or any part, will be worth your 
notice to add to your pamphlet, you are at liberty to make use of it ; and if 
you wish to put any other questions to me I will readily answer them as 
correctly as I can. 

" I beg to remain, 

" Yours faithfully, 

" John Edwards. 
" To Messrs. W. J. Myers & Co." 



AGRICULTURAL REPORTS.— NORTHUMBERLAND. 

Guano will be much used for manure in another year. It appears to 
have a wonderful effect upon almost every kind of crop. We tried it as a 
top-dressing for wheat, on the lllh of May last : quantity, 1 cwt. to an acre. 
Its effects were in a few days visible from a distance, and on reaping, the 
extra bulk of straw has been 4 thraves to the acre. Upon a future occasion 
we shall notice the judicious observationsof that distinguished agriculturist, 
John Grey, Esq., of Dilston, upon various experiments made with Guano. 
— Gateshead Observer. 



WEST INDIES. 



" Extract from one of eight Treatises on agricultural subjects, published in 
Jamaica, having been written for a Prize of One Hundred Guineas, 
offered by Lord Elgin, the Governor of the Island, to be awarded to the 
author of the best Essay on these subjects. 

" On the 6th July, 184:3, we applied 5 tons of Guano to land turned up 
with the plough. The soil is light small-shot, or manganese, the poorest 
we have. The quantity given was one pint to four feet ; and as there was 
more land opened than the Guano would manure at this rate, we applied 
common compost from the cattle-pen to the remainder, in the usual way 
and quantity : I have thereby been enabled to contrast their comparative 
merits. The canes by both methods of manuring were planted at the same 
time. Those with the common compost will be fit to cut in the usual time 
for plants, say a.t fourteen or fifteen months old. Those with Guano must be 
cut in June, or at eleven months old. At this rate did their comparative 
growth commence, and so it has continued to maturity." To this is added 
the following additional report : — " The canes planted with Guano in July^ 
1842, are now made into sugar (June, 1843). They have made excellent 
produce. In quantity they have exceeded the plants manured in the usual 
mode at the rate of one-eighth of a hhd. per acre. Had they been cut six 
weeks sooner their produce would have been still greater. 



DIRECTIONS AND RESULTS. 77 

"The mixture recommended is one-sixth Guano to five-sixths of a quart, 
consisting partly of ashes, marl, if at hand, and mould.* The quantity of 
this mixture to be applied is one quart to every four feet. 

" The author of this treatise, in a letter dated 25th July, 1843, says : — 
" The first ratoon sprouts from the roots of the plants lately cut, and which 
were originally manured with Guano, are coming up with a rapidity which 
many would consider magical, without any further application of manure." 



ST. VINCENT. 

" My Dear Sir, — 

"I have pleasure in sending you the enclosed copy 
from one of our St. Vincent friends, received from the mail of yesterday. 

" Yours very truly, 
" Wm. Gibbs, Esq., Lime-Street, " P. Cruikshank. 

21st Dec, 1843." 

" Extract from a letter from Peter Clark, dated 

" Belle Vue Estate, 3d Nov. 1843. 

" All the canes for the ensuing crop are looking well, more especially 
those that got the Guano. I think it is the best and cheapest manure yet 
imported. Such a small quantity does, and it is so easily carried to the 
difiicult parts of the piece, that, taking everything into consideration, it 
is cheaper than making manure upon the estate, especially if there are 
no other means of littering the pens, than by taking trash out of the cane 
piece. The next piece to be holed, 10 acres, will be planted without 
manure, depending on Guano being set out early. It require!^ to be 
put on the cane stool immediately after the second weeding." 



" Extract from a letter written by a Correspondent of Messrs. Gibls, 
Bright <Sj- Co., Liverpool. 

" Jamaica, Dec. 5, 1843. 

" I saw a piece of canes at Woodchurch estate, about 12 miles from 
Meylersfield, on the 14th of November, first ratoon canes, to which Guano 
had been applied at one wine-glass to each root, mixed with two-thirds 
burnt earth ; they appear finer than most plant canes I have ever seen. 
The Guano was given on the 1 0th July. 

"J. H. Cooke." 

• This quantity is probably sufficient, but it is only one-third of what was used 
in the experiment above detailed. 



78 GUANO. 

'■'■ Exlractx of various letters addressed to Messrs. Gibbs, Bright Sf Co., 
Bristol, by their Correspondents. 

" Barbadoes, 30th May, 1843. 

" ' I have little doubt that at the present reduced price, the article will 
become a great favorite as a manure, and that you will receive large orders 
for it. I had some conversation with Mr. Heath on the subject, who has 
tried it largely in different parts of the Island, and of course on different 
soils. The actual result he does not know, but is inclined, from circum- 
stances, to think very favorably of it. In St. Vincent it is in high repute, 
the land, when it has been applied, yielding far better than when ordinary 
manure has been used. 

'"P. KiLKELLY.'" 

" Barbadoes, 6th July, 1843. 
" ' It is becoming a favorite article as a manure. 

'"P. KiLKELLY.' " 

• " Barbadoes, 18th September, 1843. 

" I had a part of that sent out by you per ' Hornby.' and which I have 
applied to my canes, and find its properties of the utmost benefit, and have 
no doubt of its being used very extensively in the island. Should you be 
sendiniT out any more, I shall be very glad to try it on a larger scale. 

"Thos. F. Cox." 

*' Jamaica, 5th September, 1843. 
" There is no doubt of its efHcacy. 

" Walcott & Nephew." 

" Barbadoes, 23d August, 1843. 

" Less than half a ton is not sufficient to manure an acre of canes in a 
proper manner ; it is getting into high estimation as a manure, and the 
canes manured with it are greener than those which have been manured 
with animals. 

"Wm. Sharp." 

" Jamaica, 4th July, 1843. 

" If reasonable (in price), vs^e have but little doubt that a great demand 
mit^ht be created for it, as we believe its properties are adapted to the sugar 

cane. 

" Elin, Wright & Co." 

" Jamaica, 22d August. 

" From what I have seen of the application of Guano, I think great 
benefit will be received from it. The effect on a piece of ratoon canes to 



DIRECTIONS AND RESULTS. 79 

tvhich it was applied, at the rate of half a ton to the acre, was remarkable. 
It caused the canes to take a rapid and luxuriant growth, so that they 
covered the ground in a very short time, which saved one clearing, if not 
more, and a great advantage, keeping the land cool. I have seen sugar 
made from land manured with Guano : the color was not quite equal to 
some on the' estate, but the quantity more than doubled." 

" Barbadoes, 25th September, 1843. 

" I have great pleasure in stating that the good effects of Guano manure 
are beginning to show themselves in the growing canes; and from the 
success that has attended its application, I think you will have large orders 
for it. 

*' P. KiLKELLY." 

" Barbadoes, 14th October, 1843. 

" As to the merits of Guano as a manure, I have no hesitation in saying 
that wherever I have seen it applied to canes, either to the plants or ratoons, 
the effect has been most surprising. They change to a deep green, and 
commence a vigorous growth ; and should the result accord with their 
promise, it is my conviction that a succession of unexampled crops must 
follow the importation and use of this manure. This old island will be 
again fertilized, and a new era of prosperity open to it. 

" J. D. Maycock." 

COFFEE. 

" Jamaica. 

" At present, we may say, that Guano having been found elsewhere a 
highly beneficial application to fruit-trees, there can be little doubt that 
where cultivation has declined from the age or heavy bearing of the trees, 
or from the exhaustion or washing away of the soil, benefit would be de- 
rived from the use of it or some of the other strongly stimulating manures 
now in general use. From the chemical analysis of Guano, it appears 
particularly suited to the coffee-tree. This, however, is only to be tested 
by actual experiment. We will give all the information we possess as to 
the proportions used, and the mode of application to fruit-trees elsewhere, 
and the results as they become known ; and we cannot doubt that practical 
men will be found to test its effects by experiment. We must, however, 
repeat the caution given in another column of our paper, and beg purchas- 
ers to be careful in obtaining what is genuine. The results of Guano on 
grass-lands must be highly interesting to many whose pastures have suf- 
fered from various causes. Its application has produced effects scarcely to 
be credited, if they are not well authenticated. One form of applying it, 
strongly recommended, is very simple and easily tried. On one pound of 
good Guano pour eight gallons of water, let it stand twenty-four hours. 



/ 



80 GUANO. 



then add eight gallons more water, and let the whole stand forty -eight 
hours. This water may be applied to grass-land or vegetable gardens, it is 
stated, with the best results. A watering pot would help to distribute 
it equally ; others recommend a stronger solution, four pounds of Guano to 
remain in twelve gallons of water twenty-four hours : the water to be then 
drawn off for use ; twelve gallons of fresh water may be put on the same 
Guano, and after lying forty-eight hours, be used as the first. A trial of 
both these proportions will test their comparative value. 

"A. B." 



^'^ From the Supplement to the Jamaica Times, of January 20, 1844. 

" From the ashes of the sugar cane (Mr. Herepath remarks) I should 
conceive that no better manure could be found for that plant than Guano, 
or urine and night-soil: the former contains everything which the cane 
requires, except potash, and might easily be afforded by returning the ashes 
of the canes themselves; or a mixture might be made of some of the 
wood-ashes of the estate, with the other components of the manure. If 
Guano be selected, those varieties must be rejected which get very moist, 
or run to water in a damp atmosphere, as they abound in common salt, 
which is not required by the cane, to the detriment also of the other 
matters, viz., the phosphates and the oxalates of ammonia. 



Abundant evidence is given in the foregoing extracts, to prove 
that Guano is a general and very powerful fertilizer ; accelerating 
the growth, and adding to the product of every species of vegeta- 
tion, whilst it permanently invigorates the soil. Farmers are cau- 
tioned in purchasing, to take such only as is known to be genuine. 
The Peruvian stands pre-eminently pirst, the Bolivian, second, 
the African being of third quality. It will not be prudent to use 
any other kinds, without previous analysis, and that from Africa 
varies so much in quality, that its present price in England is only 
half that of Peruvian Guano. 



V2 



